The Nightmare on Palm Street
by Ari's Grace
Summary: Where the line between dreams and reality blurs and distorts. Where what happens while you sleep will affect you in the real world. With a fear like this, it would be best if we all never went to sleep, but this fear is only here to haunt them and them alone. M for language and mild sexual themes
1. Distorted Fears

**.The Nightmare on Palm Street.**

**I**

**Distorted Fears**

* * *

_**One, two...**_

Her white dress swished back and forth along with her long platinum blonde hair as she ran out of the kitchen, barely escaping with her life. Her sandals clacked rapidly against the checkered tiles, passing the booths and bar stools, showing how desperate she was to get away.

She knew how cliche this was. The blonde girl in the movies always pitifully attempting to run away from the horrors to live just a second more. To breathe another shattering breath for the most.

But this wasn't a movie, no, no. This was real. She couldn't deny it any longer.

"Why are you always running away from me, Naminé? I thought you were my friend— Oh, wait, we're playing, aren't we? We're playing tag, is that it?" Even though she was far away from him, she could still hear him as clear as an average day on Destiny Islands. His voice echoed in her thoughts making her shriek a desperate cry and fasten her pace.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she choked out, her voice mangled by the exertion of her actions. She could see the entrance to the diner now.

"Naminé, Naminé," the voice sneered, sounding malicious and spiteful. "You already know why!"

The girl skidded to a stop at the door she was so happy to finally reach. She shook the door violently, making the bell that was strung at the top of it ring as quickly as her heart beated in her chest.

"No, no, no—" she whipped around to see the dark figure approaching her slowly from the kitchen, knife still in his hand. She could almost see the mirthless grin stretched across his face. "—N-NO! Please God, don't do this to me!"

"In my world, there is no **God **that you speak of!" His sadistic laughter rang like the bell on the door as he advanced, scraping the sharp object on the metal of the chairs, making the poor girl flinch.

She was long past the stages of panic, her heart would probably give out any minute with all this pressure on her, but her want— no, **need— **to live dominated her instincts.

The door finally opened when she forcefully tackled it with her side, stumbling through it.

_**Go to your room...**_

Her knees burned from the friction between the carpet and her skin. The familiar setting made her sick. Most of her artwork hang from the walls, staring mockingly as she turned in dismay to see the gates of her sanctuary wide open, obliviously welcoming the bane of her fears without judgement.

_**Three, four...**_

Her hands trembled so much as she slammed the door closed, failing to turn the lock as her manicured fingers fumbled with it.

_**Lock your door...**_

She ran to the furthest corner of the room and collapsed, curling into a ball as she faced the door.

_**Five, six...**_

The sound of his footsteps finally reached her ears. Her heartbeat was the countdown to her demise, beating too loud and quick for her liking, as if it was reminding her that her time would be soon. Teary violet eyes trailed above the door's frame, staring coldly at the cross that hung symmetrically. Somehow, she sorta believed him when he told her God wouldn't save her here.

_**Grab your crucifix...**_

"Please, God... Don't do this... Please," she whispered nonetheless, her inflection as course and scratchy as a skipping record.

The blood in her body turned cold as she saw his shadow under the door. She closed her eyes and braced herself, whispering repetitious prayers with clasped hands when she heard him sing behind the door.

_**"Seven, eight... Stay up late~!"**_

Through her pleas and desperate calls to the Lord, she could hear the click of the lock as the door opened. Not even daring to open an eye.

"My Lord, our God, g-give me this strength to overcome the f-forces of evil," she sobbed, trembling when the footfalls were silenced by the plush carpet. The white interior of the walls would soon be a canvas covered in her blood, she could imagine it. "M-Mother of Christ, bare comforting arms as we shy away f-from the Pr-Prince of Darkness! Savior Jesus Christ—" what slipped from her lips was a mix of a squeak and a shrill cry as she was pulled up by her hair, away from the warmth of the carpet .

"You're so foolhardy," he exclaimed, chuckling with his hand still entangled in her unkempt hair. "Didn't I tell you that God can't help you here?"

His whispers sent shivers down her spine. She had no other choice but to face fear. Her violets met eyes that contrasted hers perfectly; flickering amber that she remorsefully recognized.

What had she done? She never thought this— more like **he**— would ever come back to haunt her, but what better did she know as a child? They were only five when it happened.

She kept on with her trembling, but it had ceased the moment he hovered the blade above her neck.

"Do you remember? When you asked me how it would feel like to be in absolute fear and pain? I don't know what ever it was in you that brought it up, but it seems like it should be reopened for discussion, don't you think?" The knife slid across her skin, grazing it without tearing, creating such a static-like sensation to burn deep within her.

If reality and dreams weren't so distorted around each other, she would've answered him. She would've told him that secret side of her, but she actually wanted to wake up and stay alive another day. She wanted to escape the arms of death.

Secretly, it was her thrill.

She gasped as he let the knife dip at the curves and contours of her skin, letting that sensation sear her with shameful, sinful thoughts. Honestly, she asked herself so many times why she thought and felt this way. She wasn't supposed to be so hot and bothered about her life hanging on a line like now. She's supposed to be that dimwitted blonde begging for mercy while her captor proceeds to torture her. No enjoyment or pleasure should be sprung! If anything, the only person who should be taking pleasure from this should be the sadistic bastard holding her by the hair! Oh, how ashamed was she when she could hear herself panting like a horny schoolgirl.

The knife was pressed too firmly to her skin, drawing blood and the girl from her thoughts.

She resumed with her prayers once again, making him pause his administrations.

"O-Our Father, who art in Heaven. H-Hollow be Thy—" she was violently thrown, landing on something soft. Her bed.

He pounced, looming over her with a dirty smirk. He had gracefully landed on her without disturbing the bed, supporting his body with the palms of his hands and his knees, one of which had found its way in between her legs. She never felt so exposed and vulnerable to him until now.

"I couldn't help noticing how you were so flustered. Does Naminé have a little fetish for sharp objects?" He teased her flushed face with his breath as he spoke, making her blush deepen.

Unlike most horror films, this victim didn't have to endure the foul stench of bad breath. Her captor's breath was hinted with the burning fragrance of cinnamon and every other dirty desire.

"You turned out to be quite the fine, young woman," he added suddenly, trailing his hand across the flesh wound, smearing blood on her white dress while he settled his hand on her well-developed chest. "If only I were still around. I would've thought about all of the ways I could fuck you."

"V-Vanitas—!" she managed to pant out. She was speechless, but definitely not from shock or the lust that clouded her eyes. She was still afraid despite the boy that hovered above her, with soft natural spikes tainted by the darkest sin and topaz eyes that could render any teenage girl soaked to the pantie.

"Hm... I don't want you to die, **yet**," he murmured in her ear, removing his hand from her chest to trail up the bare skin of her inner thigh. "However, your death will be inevitable and slowly torturous. You must suffer for the consequences of the crime committed by our so-called** friends**."

"Please," she whimpered. "I-I can't."

"Don't worry, I'll make you scream soon, if that's what you wanted to know."

He dipped his head to let his tongue slide across the curve of her neck, ending at her ear, where he panted for some time, before whispering slowly.

_**"Nine, ten... Never... Sleep again..."**_

His fingers curled around the knife that was forgotten, holding it high above her. It immediately penetrated her skin, ripping a guttural scream from her lips before he removed the blade and held it above her once more to repeat the motion. His sinister smile twisted his lips sickeningly, his eyes glinting with the pleasure of that contained by a man consumed by insanity.

* * *

Oh, how high could a girl scream from a nightmare? Pretty high, for certain. Well, at least high enough to arouse the boy lying next to her from his slumber.

"Ngh... Naminé—? Naminé, calm down!" He had a firm grasp on her shoulders, shaking her senseless while she continued to scream.

"NAMINE! IT'S JUST A DREAM! WAKE UP!" As if from his command, her eyes shot open, tears following immediately afterward. "O-Oh God, Naminé, you're bleeding!"

She instantly held the deep wound on her thigh and clasped a hand over the cut on her neck, desperately trying to hide it from spindrift eyes that swirled with fear and shock as she sobbed.

"N-No, Roxas, it's not what—!"

"Naminé, who did this to you? Did you—?"

"NEVER! I would never do this to myself!"

"Then, who did?" He spoke quietly after the heavy pause, leaving the room as silent with the exception of her sobbing.

"I-I..." She didn't know what to say. I mean, how would you explain to your best friend that a boy who happened to haunt you in your dreams actually did this to you? That and the fact that you also got some sort of sick, twisted, sexual high from this boy's sadistic tendencies?

"I'm sorry, I just... I can't," she cried. Roxas pulled the frightened girl to him, enveloping her into a tight embrace, hushing her cries before her parents will suspect anything. He did sneak into her house in the middle of the night, after all.

"Shush, it's okay. You're okay. Let's get you cleaned up," he stated with finality, picking up the petite girl and carrying her bridal-style to the bathroom adjoined with her room.

He settled her on the counter next to the sink while he looked for bandages and other medical items. With the light, the wounds weren't as terrible as they seemed. Namine guessed that Vanitas was clever enough to hurt her greatly without involving any serious injury. This thought made her blood run cold once again, referring to what he told her.

_"However, your death will be inevitable and slowly torturous."_

_"You must suffer..."_

"So, you're still not willing to let me know?" The artist snapped from her reverie to listen to the other blonde's want to divulge in her problems.

"I just don't know how to tell you. It's not like I don't want to. I would never hide anything from you, Roxas." Another lie.

"If you say so," he trailed off, letting his eyes linger on her body.

"Roxas," she whimpered. "M-My cuts."

"Oh! Right, s-sorry." He began the painful task of cleaning her with antiseptics and burning chemicals that promised a successful healing.

Roxas couldn't bear to hear Naminé's gasps and whimpers, but he never thought about the real purpose for such a reaction to arise from her. The cuts didn't hurt her too badly, it couldn't have been pain.

"The liquid's just cold, that's why," she merely excused as he finished bandaging her.

After replacing the items he had used, he carried Naminé back into her room, laying her on the bloody sheets. Naminé's eyes widened as the scene of Vanitas straddling her played over in her mind.

"I can't stay here any longer. Your parents might be awake from your little episode from earlier. It'll only be a matter of time before they come to check on you. You'll be alright by yourself tonight, will you?"

"Roxas, I-I'll be fine. It's just a nightmare. Nothing more than a figment of my overcreative imagination. I'm probably not getting enough sleep, that's all."

"Naminé..." The troubled blonde boy couldn't help showing his concern, placing a warm hand on her cheek. After all, this beautiful, violet-eyed beauty was his first love. She was the only reason for living and he saw it as an infallible truth.

"Go home, Roxas. Go to bed, just sleep on it. I'll be okay," she murmured.

With a defeated sigh, he turned his back on her, climbing out of her window with ease. This wasn't his first time sneaking into her room, so to say.

After confirming that he was finally gone, Naminé's thoughts returned to the evil in her life. Vanitas was here to stay, she knew it. He was after sweet revenge, and he'll pry it from all of their cold, motionless hands in the end. Naminé will only keep this to herself for the time being, not knowing her friends will suffer from the same impending hell.

After all, they were the murderers. They had much more to do with the long deceased boy than she.

They were responsible for the death of Vanitas Strife, so now, they were going to pay.

* * *

**NEW STORY! Lol I know, but Grace~! You barely update the others! Pshh, I think I'm capable of keeping up with my ****stories now :3 I mean, it's summer, after all. :D So, I got this idea from watching Nightmare on Elm Street (the new one) with my brother and his girlfriend a while back on a weekend, which I enjoyed by the way. So, during the following school week, I missed the bus and walked to school. And this strange phenomena occurred! My mind started wondering how it would be like if KH characters went through the same thing, so I started freaking out and I was all like, "ZOMG I'M GETTING SOMEWHERE WITH THIS!" so here it is!**

**Heheh, well I hope you've enjoyed it! Tell me whether I should continue this or not!**

**Bai~! :D**


	2. Good Girls Don't Deserve to Die

**Hello! I'm gonna make this snappy! Review times, baby! :D**

**GenieLUV: Thank you for being my first reviewer for this story! I blush, I blush! Lol oh, Vanitas will be as wicked as wicked as he can get! This chappie will prove it to ya! ... I think... xD**

**Madhatta51: Bro, I can't agree with you any more than I already did about both of those things. I don't know it's certainly thrilling to be on the edge and stuff :3**

**Little Sweety Pea: See? I told you I had a surprise for ya! xD lol And hun, there's going to be more to come! :)**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own _KINGDOM HEARTS_ or ANY FRANCHISES MENTIONED WITHIN THIS STORY. I also DO NOT own the PLOT FOR _NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET_. This story is purely for the entertainment of the readers and myself. Oh, and the cover image of this story DOES NOT belong to me. I've stumbled onto that image while browsing Deviant Art. It was done by Cicre. ALL credit should be directed to her for being such an awesome and creative artist! :D Sorry Cicre, but I'm a sneaky bastard ;D**

**WARNING: Some adjectives in this story may be a tad too hurtful or offensive to some or the faint of heart, so please don't get yourself worked up over my choice of vocabulary, thank you! :)  
Mild sexual themes and Yaoi/Yuri inferences. Blood... There is blood... Lol :3**

**You have been sincerely warned...**

* * *

**.The Nightmare on Palm Street.**

**II**

**Good Girls Don't Deserve to Die**

* * *

"Hun, I'll be out for the night! Will you stay out of trouble while I'm away?" A young woman yelled from downstairs, standing by an open door.

What made the woman stand out was her curled earthen locks and the skimpy black dress she was wearing for her birthday. The dark colors accentuated her viridian eyes, giving her a mysterious, yet flirtatious appearance. She was single and ready to mingle.

"Wait, wait, wait mommy!" A teenage girl with identical features stomped down the stairs, rushing to her mother and crushing her in a sweet embrace. "You wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, now would you?"

The girl's mother giggled, returning the affectionate gesture.

"Of course not! My beautiful girl should at least have that!"

"O-Oh! Mother," the cheerful girl separated herself from the only influence in her life. "You're looking so sexy tonight! OW!"

"P-Please, I only try! I am a single mother, after all," she reasoned with a blush, trying to quiet the girl's cat calls.

The sad truth was, Leah Tilmitt was young enough to be her daughter's older sister. She was raped at the age of fourteen, sending her parents into an eternal shame. The woman was forced into marriage after she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Although the family friend she had no choice but to marry was secretly an abusive drunk, Leah carried on, raising her daughter on her own. By the time she was a young adult, she left her daughter in the care of her parents while she completed her education, which took a solid eight years.

That gave Selphie a lot of time to herself. She knew her mother's life wasn't as wonderful as hers, although they did share something in common.

They both gave up some years of their lives to each other. Selphie strived to be a model student and hardworking daughter while her mother strived just as hard to keep her job and a roof over their heads.

"Also, would you mind if Naminé and Kairi sleep over? We were going to study for an upcoming test we have in a couple of days and hang out. Y'know, do girly stuff!"

"Anything for my darling daughter," she crooned, pecking her on the cheek, making her smile brightly. "I'll be home late, but not too late. The girls can't play matchmaker forever."

"Yeah, knock 'em dead, mommy," Selphie giggled as her mother stepped out into the brisk night, entering the car parked in the driveway and turning the ignition. "Have a fun night!"

Her mother waved before pulling out of the driveway and driving down the street. When she was sure her mother had turned the corner, she closed the door and rushed back up the stairs. The moment she was in her room, she jumped on her bed, picking up her cell phone and speed-dialing.

"Hello?"

"KAIRI! Is Nami with you?"

"Uh y-yes, she—"

"Then, come over!"

"Okay, b-but we were kinda in the middle of something important. H-However, we can see—"

"Oh, Kairi," she exclaimed in a dramatic manner. "Don't tell me you guys are 'experimenting'! To think, my two bestest best friends in the whole wide world are pleasuring each other with—"

"SELPHIE!" She smirked when she heard both girls shriek in the phone.

"I expect you at my door in twenty minutes, in pajamas and holding your textbooks, because we're having a Study Session-Sleepover Extravaganza!" Selphie cut the line before they could rebuke, giggling to herself in excitement.

She took the time to tidy up her room. The energetic brunette knew that Kairi and Naminé wouldn't take long. They did live in the same neighborhood, after all.

Selphie.

Riku.

Ventus and Roxas.

Xion and Kairi.

Sora.

Naminé.

They all lived on the same street. The street where the palm trees shrouded their homes in shadows and made the nights eerily darker than usual. This street was appropriately named.

It only took knuckles rapping on the door to send the girl back downstairs, bouncing in place as she unlocked the doors in pure excitement.

"Namine! Kairi! I— Uh," It was neither the happy redhead nor shy blonde that she knew for so long. In fact, no one was there, so she poked her head out, where the darkness was waiting for her. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

_**"For a girl with a sweet smile and pretty eyes, you fucking make me sick."**_

"E-Excuse me? Who's out there? I-I have a stun gun, buddy!" She yelled before backing away from the door, quickly closing it and switching and turning and bolting every lock on the door.

From Tilmitt experience, safety and security was a top priority, along with God and family. Well, anything was never above God, of course not! Selphie thought of God as the father she always dreamed of since her father wasn't even a name or a face, for the matter. She was a child born into the world from a committed sin that should be anything but punished. If she ever met the man who would be assumed her "biological father," she wouldn't even know how to deal with him. He viciously attacked her mother and ruined her life. Why would anyone want to know someone like that?

She heard the same rapping on the door and froze. The light knocks turned into violent slamming, causing her to buckle under and fall to the ground.

"Go away!" She screamed, scrambling for the door and pressing as much force on it as possible, feeling each powerful bang against the wooden door. It didn't even feel like knocking anymore; more like a big and terrifying monster tackling the door repeatedly. She began to sob and cry as the beast of a person assaulted her only asylum.

Then, it stopped. Everything was still and silent as before... Too silent. She could feel her heart beat against her rib cage, begging to be released. She could even hear it as she breathed deeply in hopes of calming herself down.

More knocking made the girl jolt from the floor. The brunette would've screamed again if it weren't for the consoling voices that came afterward.

"Selphie, I hope you're ready~! We brought your favorite ice cream!"

"Uh huh, you better hurry up or it'll melt~!"

The two girls behind the door began to giggle, unaware of the recent events that had just transpired. Wait a minute... If they were already here, they would've caught a glimpse of the intruder!

"Uh... J-Just give me a second," she stuttered, unsatisfied with how her voice cracked and felt so shaky. Despite that fact, she unlocked the door with trembling hands, a little hesitant to open it.

What if it was a hoax? What if it was actually the mystery attacker who wanted in? Should she open the door anyway?

"Selphie? Is everything okay?" Kairi asked from behind the door.

"Y-Yeah, it's just... Come in," she said with finality, opening the door and sighing in relief when she saw two girls around her age and height with matching amethyst eyes and vanilla and cherry tainted hair.

"Hey—! Oh, goodness, Selph! You look like you've seen a ghost," Kairi exclaimed, inspecting the startled brunette. "You're shaking like a leaf!"

"Um... I don't know what's going on, b-but we should... Lock the doors and windows, draw the c-curtains! I-I'll explain when we're in my room!"

When the trio did just that, they sat on her bed, with the door to her room locked of course.

"So what's got you so paranoid all of a sudden?" Naminé inquired, staring the girl down with curiosity and concern.

"I," she trailed off, hugging the butterfly pillow pet in her arms. "I was attacked recently..."

"A-Are you kidding me?" Kairi yelped, holding onto Naminé. "Some weirdo's trying to break into your house? We've gotta call the police. NOW!"

"Kairi, hush! Now, Selph, did you catch a glimpse of this man?"

"I-I- No... I was hoping you saw someone. It sounded like a man— well, more like a boy our age— from what he said, and all."

"And? What did he say?" Ugh, Kairi was always urging for details.

Selphie whispered the words, making the other two girls gasp in shock.

"Do you think it's a stalker?"

Selphie could hear the same voice laughing at the back of her mind.

"N-No it couldn't be. I never had a boy from school say something like that to me before."

"Maybe it's not a boy from our school..." Naminé's words hung in silence for a while. All three girls thought about the possibility for a while until Kairi spoke up.

"That's impossible. Our school is the only high school within this district. There can't be a creeper from another school."

Selphie noticed how frightened Naminé was. She folded her hands together in that way she did when she was nervous or shy. She also kept her head bowed, her hair serving as a curtain, draping over her face and shoulders. The blonde appeared to be deep in thought, as well. The conflict was obvious in her violet hues as she addressed her. Kairi looked at her in sympathy.

"Yeah, Naminé's been under some tremendous stress lately, but she never told me what it was exactly since we were interrupted," she sent Selphie a temporary glance, indicating said interruption. "She said that she couldn't sleep and each day I see her, she's more paranoid than the last..."

"Oh, you poor thing! I know what'll help! I have some pills that can ease your stress and help with your insomnia! It'll knock you right out in—"

"N-No! I don't need sleep! I just can't! Don't m-make me go to sleep!"

Selphie's hand was hovering over the drawer handle when she saw Naminé's eyes widen as she began to tremble.

"Are you afraid that the guy will break into the house?" Selphie took a shot in the dark, watching her carefully, taking a mental note of how her eyes shifted from Kairi, to her, and then to the folded hands in her lap.

"Yes... I-I am."

"Well, in that case, we'll pull an all-nighter, just for our Naminé," she exclaimed, dragging the shaken blonde girl into her arms.

"Th-Thank you."

* * *

The girls spent most of the late night eating melted ice cream and reviewing their study guides for the upcoming test, asking each other questions and such. Whenever Selphie slightly dozed off, she was violently shoved awake several times by Namine. Even though there was a small smile tugging at her lips, Selphie saw the fear in her eyes despite how tired she was. Staying up all night texting Ventus was becoming a regret now.

"Hey, guys," the tired brunette addressed the other two with a yawn. "I'm gonna go take a shower, okay?"

"Alrighty," Kairi chirped, crinkling the packet in her hands. "Okay, Nami, moment of truth! Number seventy-two..."

Selphie left the two to do whatever they pleased, entering the bathroom across the hall. Too tired to think, she just left her clothes on the floor and stepped into the glass cubicle and turned on the showerhead.

While the steam began to rise and cloud the cubicle, the brunette sighed and closed her eyes from the relief of the warm water that coated her formerly unexposed skin. The warmth was a pleasure to feel as the girl thought she had washed away her sleep.

_**"Ooh, I always wanted to watch a girl get naked and wet for me."**_

The girl shrieked when she heard the sudden voice, nearly falling on the slippery tiles of the floor. She quickly made haste to stand on her feet and cut off the water. If she heard right, it was the same voice from earlier, the man whom attempted to break into her home.

She streaked a hand on the fog, her eyes seeing past the safety of the glass door. There was no one. Although the steam still provided warmth, chills found their way up and down her spine.

"It's impossible, I-I locked the door," she reasoned, hoping to calm her nerves and resumed with showering. "No creepy, weirdo rapist-murderer could've sneaked in so easily. Kairi, Naminé; they would've heard him..."

This thought made her freeze in fear.

_'What if he got to them?'_

She exhaled a shaky breath and washed the shampoo out of her hair. When the soapy residue was completely washed away, she sat against the wall where the water hit, curling up in thought.

**_"Aw, you're no fun, at all."_**

This time, the scream was caught in her throat as she stared wide-eyed at the dark figure through the foggy glass. Her vision was distorted, so she couldn't see that much detail, but judging from the position he was in, he must've been seated on the sink.

_'THE DOOR IS FUCKING LOCKED... HOW IS HE IN HERE?'_

"I mean, here I am, trying to look for a little entertainment, but, no, there's nothing that could excite me whatsoever. Whatever happened to touching yourself, like you normally do?"

The girl blushed heavily from the accusation, remaining speechless as the man continued.

"Don't deny it because you know you do~ ! You were curious as to how it felt, weren't you? Then, you knew, you knew that if it were ever to happen again it wouldn't feel right. It went against your moral code, huh? Yeah? It was oh so tempting, wasn't it, to do it again? And when you did, you were just dying to do it some more. Am I right?"

"Sh-Shut up! Y-You don't know me!" Selphie covered her ears and closed her eyes in hopes of not listening to what else this mystery man had to say. Selphie already had tears in her eyes. This man, more or less boy, was scaring her. She didn't want to hear these dirty words any longer.

"Oh, but I do, Selphie. I've been watching you for a while now. You always think of him when you commit this terrible sin. You think of your best friend, and how satisfying he might be for you. How he can make you feel those irresistible sensations through the sinful gratifications of coition. Just thinking about him inside of you makes you wanna **moan**," he mocked her by groaning out and emphasizing the word, making her quiver. "Too bad you don't know his secret..."

"Secret?" The girl returned her gaze on the distorted figure before her. "H-How do you know Ventus?"

"Oh? You don't know?" He sounded certainly amused. "Shouldn't **best friends** tell each other everything?

"Yes, b-but—"

"Shouldn't a **best friend** like Ventus tell you how he used you? How you were simply just an asset to achieve what he truly desired?"

"What—? You're lying!" she screamed, tugging at her damp hair at the stressing fact. Ventus loved her, she knew it with all of her heart.

"You ignorant bitch," he spat out. "I'm as honest as I'll ever get. I don't need to lie, like that faggot, Ventus, to manipulate such a desolate, weak liar like **you**."

Selphie saw him stand up, making her shy away from the door as he came closer, screaming as loud as she could. The door creaked open, the cool air from outside forcing all of the steam out of the shower. When he stepped into the shower, he seemed the least bothered by the water that rained down upon them.

The cowering girl gasped at the familiarity of his features...

Dark, unruly hair and cold, void eyes that glowed a menacing gold. Those cat eyes were silently scrutinizing her trembling form. His black jacket and blue jeans were becoming soaked

"V-V-Vanita—?" She squeaked painfully as he harshly pulled her closer by her hair, taking a strong hold of her bottom jaw and observing her with a scowl.

"You're such an unsightly mess," he growled as he continued to take in the sight of her vulnerable form. "No wonder he's not even an ounce interested in you. You have so little to offer. You make my desire to see my far more bewitching artist burn all the more brightly."

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LAY A FINGER ON NAMINE—!" He backhanded her into submission, chuckling at her.

"You really are stupid, and annoying, as well. I should just shut you up right now. Or... Hear you scream..." His eyes flickered around the cramped space of the cubicle, brightening in joy as he found a useful utensil. "Wow!"

Selphie watched in fear as he reached for the pointed metal.

"Who would ever keep such a dangerous thing in their shower?" He laughed hysterically as he flashed her the scissors. "They can really poke an eye out..." The thoughtful, mischievous tone in his voice made her heart drop to her stomach as he pressed her against the cold, unforgiving tile of the wall.

"For once, I found a better use for this tool other than snipping hair," he sneered. She began to sob and cry uncontrollably as he forced her right eye open, holding the tip of the scissors before her eye. "Now I won't have to be sickened by those pretty green eyes of yours and instead of lies, the only thing that'll ever leave this damned mouth of yours are your screams."

**_"Are you ready to scream for me Selphie?"_**

* * *

"**SELPHIE**!" Naminé screamed out as loud as she could, shaking the door wildly in panic.

It had been a couple of minutes since they heard Selphie's first shriek in the eerie silence of the house. Kairi ran out of the house to get Riku, who lived next door, while Naminé attempted to open the bathroom door. She was trying so hard to reach the struggling girl, tackling the door a few times. The blonde already expected what was happening on the other side of the door. She knew it was stupid to leave Selphie to herself; she knew that much from how Selphie seemed to fall asleep each time they asked each other questions from their study guides.

"SELPHIE, PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! WAKE UP, SELPHIE!" Naminé was sobbing now, pitifully kicking at the door with every drop of willpower and remaining strength that she was willing to give as she continued to hear her screaming and sobbing, as well.

When she heard heavy yet rushed footsteps, she was relieved as she saw silver hair and alarmed aquamarine eyes with Kairi not too far behind.

Naminé's attention was brought back to the door as the screaming turned into blood-curdling screeches.

"SELPHIE!" Kairi cried.

"Move out of the way, Nams," Riku hollered, gently pulling her away from the door. He braced himself and tackled the door, breaking it off from its hinges in only two tries. He wasn't known as the star quarterback for the school's football team for nothing.

Naminé hurried past Riku, only to slip forward on the rug on the floor and fall on her face. She picked her dizzy head up in time to hear Selphie's scream cease the moment blood splattered the glass door of the cubicle.

The loud thud that resounded afterwards left Naminé's ears deaf to everything else and the image of the blood that splattered the door left her blind of her surroundings.

Kairi's screaming and crying. Riku's yelling at Naminé to snap out of it. The police that invaded the house too late, of course. The forensics' unit taking pictures of the mangled body in the shower. The whole neighborhood occupying the street from the sudden commotion and chaos.

She was deaf and blind to it all.

When the three teens were interrogated, Naminé was too traumatized to answer their questions. Selphie's mother, who was also being interrogated the moment she arrived, was in a tumult of tears with a sympathetic, unknown man by her side as a body bag was carried down the stairs and out of the house.

"We'll need you to come by the morgue later to identify the body and confirm it as your daughter's," the detective who interrogated her informed her as gently as he could. It was futile as the young woman just crumpled up in a mess of sobs.

The detectives labeled it as suicide, although it was very clear how much Kairi stressed the fact that a man tried to break into the house earlier that night. The evidence stated it all. The scissors were in her hands, after all.

Naminé witnessed everything that had happened, excluding the recent "assumed suicide," with vacant eyes. She didn't answer questions, she didn't protest when Kairi clung to her waist so tightly, and she didn't listen to Riku's comforting words or feel the soothing patterns his hand traced on her back. She didn't know when or how Roxas entered the crime scene and pulled her away, placing her on his lap and holding her tightly on the edge of the living room couch, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

She was unaware of it all.

The only thing that she could hear echoing in her head were Selphie's screams and the thud of her body hitting the floor. The only image she saw behind her eyes was the blood that splattered the glass when she stopped screaming and the image of her maimed body being washed clean from her blood by the water that still poured on her. That's how she found her best friend.

If that was Selphie's punishment from Vanitas, then the attacks will become much more worse and gruesome than the last. Naminé was paranoid by that fact...

She believed that she would have it far worse than Selphie. Far worse than everyone else.

_'I can't accept this. None of us should...'_

* * *

**I. AM. TERRIBLE! o.0**

**I must be a sick, demented child for writing this while listening to Sleeping with Sirens and Closure 2 Closure... Hell, I think I'm the ONLY ONE who would write about torture and death while listening to a cutesy song like "Let Love Bleed Red" or "Skyline Drive" or "La La Love." I don't know what's wrong with me, so don't ask... xD**

**Lol ugh! I finally got this finished. The only reason I took so long is because my original second chapter wasn't actually about Selphie. It was actually about someone else. Well, it's pretty obvious who it's going to be if you've read it carefully :3**

**Anyways, I LOVED the reviews! And I would still love it if I get more! :D Please, this story is still pretty new and I wanna know if I should continue or not and to... You know...**

**REVOLT AGAINST FANFICTION! Dx**

**Seriously, they're just asking for this story, along with many other M-rated fanfics and many of this sites's users, to be taken somewhere else. D:**

**Oh well...**

**Continue reading my lovelies! Chapter three _may _be up sooner than you think... o.0**

**Oh, and I'm sorry I haven't updated my other stories. Kaythnxbai! ^3^**


	3. Just Stay Alive

**Ya, I'm back sooooo soon! :3 Who cares, that should be a good sign right? xD ****Ahh, oh the lovely reviews I've received! They made me so happy and giggly! :D It just made me want to upload this! :) Well, I kinda had it mostly finished already, so I was like eh, what the hell! Lemme just post it! :D**

**Sky and Sea: I know! You _should_ be ashamed of me! Dx lol What if I told you I had another story up my sleeve? :3 ****YES YOU NOSY READERS, YOU HEARD RIGHT! xD ****Lol but seriously it just popped up, and I put in some thought to it, and I feel like writing it, so hehe here I go again... :') And bro, I'm a SERIOUS FAIL when it comes to multitasking! D: But sometimes... Sometimes, I can be a win... ;-;**

**GenieLUV: Yeah, I don't know. I think Selphie was destined for that role. I mean, the others are just as worse off as Selphie, but they play more major roles, too. So I guess I should leave this chapter to your enjoyment. :) Yup, ugh Vanitas is one crazy MOFO. xD**

**Witch of Tragedies: Bro, you wouldn't believe how difficult it was for me to right the last chapter. Thinking about those scissors made me shudder like ugh! Dx But I'm glad you found it interesting. And you're safe... For now. :3 (I know, total Pedobear status) xD**

**Madhatta51: Agh! You smart cookie, you! And since you're a smart cookie, you should deserve one! :D Wait... would that make you a smart cookie cannibal then? o.0 Oh gosh this story is messing me up! xD Lol well, in short, you're right! :) Oh but you'll just have to wait a little while longer for the flashbacks! Yup, I said it. There's no problem, I assume? Okay! ^3^**

**Little Sweety Pea: LMFAOO You know after all this time, I never thought I would ever get such a compliment as "Good job with the murder!" Lol but either way, I still feel pretty darn proud, if I do say so myself! ^_^ Yes, hopefully it'll all blow over and we can write and read freely in peace! D: Lol Vanitas is turning out to be my fave character for some reason... Idk why o.0**

**luong10: Thank you babes! xD lol jk I'm happy that you "contributed" (as you said you did)! xD It made me a very very very very happy girl! ME GUSTA :3 ‹3 ‹3 ‹4 Hehe even our insider can't be stopped! xD I do have an awesomesauce personality, don't I? :')  
**

**roxas: That statement just made me realize all of the possibilities for this! :D But sadly, I'll have to finish it the way I intended if I want to finish my other stories and publish new ones! There's always so much room for more, but so little time to keep them. Sigh ;-; Oh whatever this story is still gonna be a smash anyways! xD**

**Awww! Thanks for all of your reviews! They make me feel special, and I love feeling special. NOW! TO THE STORY! AWAY! :D**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own KINGDOM HEARTS or ANY FRANCHISES MENTIONED WITHIN THIS STORY. I also DO NOT own the PLOT FOR NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. This story is purely for the entertainment of the readers and myself. Oh, and the cover image of this story DOES NOT belong to me. I've stumbled onto that image while browsing Deviant Art. It was done by Cicre. ALL credit should be directed to her for being such an awesome and creative artist! :D Sorry Cicre, but I'm a sneaky bastard ;D**

**WARNING: Some adjectives in this story may be a tad too hurtful or offensive to some or the faint of heart, so please don't get yourself worked up over my choice of vocabulary, thank you! :)**  
**Mild sexual themes and Yaoi/Yuri inferences. Blood... There is blood... Lol :3**

**You have been sincerely warned...**

* * *

**.The Nightmare on Palm Street.**

**III**

**Just Stay Alive**

* * *

His bloodshot eyes flickered about in the dark room, preoccupying them while he tried so hard to stay awake. The blonde spikes that were usually brilliant and soft were matted with sweat and blood that slowly trickled from the side of his head. He couldn't move. He couldn't scream or cry out from the pain. He could only let the tears pour as he lay there, on the floor, where he had woken up.

He knew his right arm was dislocated and fractured, but why did that matter? He was left-handed anyway.

The frail blonde chuckled bitterly at his own twisted humor, regretting it immediately as the pain was screaming inside his body. The more pain he felt, the more he gasped and whimpered, which only brought more pain. It was an endless cycle of torture.

Damn him. Damn him and his brutality, his cleverness, his demonic smile, his beautiful amber eyes, and his long, dark hair. Damn him and his suave, seductive voice, his demented beauty, his strong, calloused hands, and his muscular build. Damn him and the sadistic pleasure he brought him.

Oh, this boy was just as unknowingly ashamed as the petite blonde artist who lived a couple houses away.

Ventus Hikari had already gone through his second nightmare, and managed to survive.

Just barely.

He was hoping that his parents or his brother wouldn't walk in on him yet. He was hoping that if he laid there long enough, he'll be able to bleed out every drop of life that God had offered him seventeen years ago and die. Die in silence. Die in the stilled early morning that was filled with screams and moans from the nightmare that occurred only minutes prior.

The blonde relived every waking (well that's not really the appropriate word) moment he had with the raven a second time that week, a small part of him relishing in the fact that he saw him once again. The one who made him the way he was now.

He couldn't have been the only one. No, that's impossible. He recalled that the raven of death mentioned his friends.

He felt jealous. Ventus wanted Vanitas to do these things to him and him alone. He thought about who Vanitas must've gone to first. Vanitas could've visited his brother before him. It would be understandable if he did. Family matters were always a priority in the Strife household, but, then again, Vanitas was always as nonconforming as ever.

Who else? It could've been Ventus's brother, Roxas. Possibly Riku...

Or that bitch, **Naminé**.

He was the most envious of her. Ever since they were younger, he abhorred her presence. She attracted too much attention from their friends. She stole his brother's heart without knowing it and doesn't even acknowledge him for shit. She acts so kind and shy toward everyone, even strangers.

She disgusted him.

Ironically, to everyone else's eyes, they were the best of friends. But he knew that she was the bane of his hate and his greed.

He wanted her **gone**.

With luck, he could only dream that his wicked love would get rid of her first, make her regret living in his presence. It seemed like such a refreshing and wonderful thought to him.

The twisted grin disappeared at the sound of the door creaking and the click of the light switch, revealing a mortified woman around his height staring back at him with equally startling spindrift eyes.

"Oh, my... My baby—!" Her words were caught in her throat as she continued to watch his vacant eyes. He returned the stare, challenging her to take another breath.

Although the blinding light hurt his eyes, he accepted it without complaint, the only reason being that it let him know he would die soon. His peripheral vision was fading into darkness, which was going to consume him sometime soon. He was fully aware of how the events will carry out.

His mother will rush to her room, make a commotion and wake his father (she was doing as expected). Then, they'll call for an ambulance and rush him to the ER in hopes and begging prayers to heal him, or, if he was ever to relapse, revive him.

It was so typical of a family that loved their "perfect" son. In truth, the boy's parents were never aware of another demeanor ever existing in the first place. The Ventus at home was only a shadow of the real Ventus. This shadow only appeared in the light, to best others that had a greater light than he.

But when he was alone or at school, he was a completely different being. They could say he was a spitting image of **him**.

Paramedics rushed into his room with a gurney, picking him up despite the fact that he was in immense pain and placing him there. They made it safely down the stairs, pushing him into the vehicle that would send him off to his rescue. If only they'd left him for dead.

* * *

Three days. He was discharged from the hospital. He also hadn't slept in the meantime. The traumatic and painful experience after being revived from going into cardiac arrest that night was one of the things he couldn't bear to go through a second time. Even with being infatuated with his Vanitas, he was still too paranoid to sleep.

Seeing his love meant pain and pain meant healing. Healing was another overwhelming pain all on its own. Hell, he even quit weed for the exact purpose. Ventus couldn't afford the drowsy effects that came with the herbal medicine.

By the fourth day, he was back in school, his arm in a cast and bandages on his head and an exhausted face to boot. They had to sew his lower lip back together because it was severely torn, courtesy of Vanitas. His hoodie was three times his size, easily hiding his cast from prying eyes as he advanced to his locker. The eyes were burning him, making him nervously finger the half-inch gauges in his ears. His parents never knew about them; he always kept them hidden under his hair.

Ventus jumped when he passed Selphie, a fellow Junior and unfortunately his **best friend**. The usually cheerful brunette's lips curled into a cute grin. It would've been endearing if it weren't for a few things.

Her pretty green eyes were clawed out, leaving bloody tears and vacant, soul-sucking eye sockets. Her throat was torn a part, leaving a gaping, bloody mess of a wound for the world to see. She seemed to have blood coating every inch of her body, and the tears of blood made Ventus completely terrified of the girl's condition.

After his first day of being hospitalized, Sora brought him the tragic news of Selphie Tilmitt's **murder**. He was informed that it was actually suicide, since there was no evidence of another person being present in Selphie's shower, but Ventus thought otherwise.

It must've been him, it must've been Vanitas...

The startled boy shook his head violently, feeling the dizzying effects of his concussion too quickly. He stumbled to his locker, holding onto the handle for support as he shakily put in the combination and opened it. The poor boy leaned in, hiding his tired eyes from the world.

_**"Venny... Wakey, wakey~!"**_

He crawled out of his own skin at the wickedly suave voice that sang in his ears. The lights of the hall seemed dimmer than usual. The light above him was flickering; creating that irritating buzzing noise that most of you would grow up to fear after plenty of horror.

"H-Hello?" he squeaked, turning his head this way and that. He saw no one, just the end of the hall where the darkness had manifested. The lights were turning off, letting the darkness grow. Amber eyes appeared in this darkness, causing the boy to tremble.

He could hear him chuckling, another shudder down his spine. The blonde's spindrift eyes widened from the figure that stepped out of the abysmal shadows.

"N-No... S-Stay away from me!" Although it was the opposite of what he wanted. Ventus was so captivated by the other boy that approached him, who was quite amused, he couldn't move.

"We both know your body says otherwise," Vanitas sneered. "We both know what you really want, or am I in the wrong?"

"P-Please," Ventus began to slowly take a few steps back without catching Vanitas's attention, remembering how. "You've already sent me to the hospital! I-I don't want to go through all of that again! Please! I'm s-still trying to heal!"

"Ah, Ven," he drawled, chortling at his pleas, which was music to his ears. "Fear has a full-time job. One must not simply **wait** for wounds to heal. Take sex as an example."

"Wh-What?" From the blush that tainted his cheeks, Vanitas knew he had the small blonde right where he wanted him. He took his frazzled state as an advantage, finally towering over him.

"You heard me~! **Sex**! It's a wonderful feeling, or so they say. I wouldn't know, yet. But once you have sex, you just feel like you need it more, correct? Well, of course you would know, Venny! I know you had your fair share of boys throughout your high school years."

Ventus froze, red in the face from the accusation. How did he— Vanitas couldn't have known, he—

Said boy's hands pressed against the wall he had cornered Ven into, his hands on either side of the flustered blonde.

"This brings me to another question that I'm curious to know the answer to. Are you a uke or a seme? I'm dying to know." Amber clashed with cerulean as the taller boy leaned in, their noses touching.

Ventus didn't know how to reply to this. He was too baffled at how the boy could even know such modernized terms, let alone sex. Vanitas's death was twelve years ago. They were innocent little children at the time…

Somewhat.

"Wh-Why would you want to know?" Ven asked bashfully, not too keen on letting Van divulge in his love life.

"I'm just curious and all," he breathed, letting his breath fan the blonde's face. "After all, I was left behind in a box six feet below the ground while you continued to grow up, becoming all of the disgusting things your parents would've never approved of."

Van pushed him back, letting his anger lash out.

"My parents **love **me," he spat out, balling his hands into fits. "They love me the way I am!"

"Oh, the way you are? More like the way you pretend to be. Do you think your parents would love you if you revealed your true self to them?" The raven was back where he was, pressed against his next gasping victim.

"Would they love you if you told them about all of the drugs you consumed and the substances you inhaled to feel happiness? Would they still love you if you revealed your sexual preferences? If you told them you lay in the same bed with other boys your age?" He growled, pressing his body further against Ven's, making the blonde stifle a moan.

"Would they still love you if you confessed that you were a **murderer**?"

"M-Murderer? I n-never killed anyone," he grunted distractedly, becoming fully aroused from the friction being created between them.

"Oh, yes you did. You forced Selphie to whisper lies into the ears of our friends. You easily manipulated her for your own selfish needs. You were such a sick, twisted boy at that age, conniving and evil, just like **me**. The only thing you needed was a mindless follower and a handful of lies to make our friends my enemies. If anything, you're just as responsible for my death as Riku and Roxas are. Now, Selphie's death is another burden you must carry. If you wanted me, you could've just said so, but no, you just had to be so stupid."

Vanitas seized Ven's broken arm, twisting it back. The blonde yelped as he was turned around and slammed against the lockers.

"I should help compensate for your lack of common sense," he sneered, smiling in anticipation.

Ven gulped as he felt long fingers entangle in his golden spikes. His head was jerked back, letting him see the evil grin plastered on Vanitas's flawless face before his head collided against the lockers. Over and over, his head was being smashed against the lockers to the point where stars could be seen, clouding most of his vision. The weak blonde could hear the raven's maniacal laughter as he proceeded to pulverize his skull into the hard, misgiving steel.

"You're an idiot! A dumb ass! Not even your own brother visited you while you were in the hospital! You should be dead! Hell, it's not even worth my time to kill such a pathetic pest like you! Even if you attempted suicide, you wouldn't be able to do it because of how much of pussy you are, you worthless, good-for-nothing faggot!"

Tears were present, although Ven wasn't able to see either way from the dark spots that started to invaded his sight. Heartstrings were plucked and torn as the hateful words inched their way into his mind despite the overwhelming pain he felt. He couldn't speak, letting Vanitas continue with his tirade.

"Greedy, undeserving brat, that's what you are! If it weren't me, then it would've been Naminé! Even if I were alive, I wouldn't have loved you. The only thing you deserve is a one-way ticket to Hell. Insolent, dim-witted, selfish fool! You should be ashamed to be called a child of God! The fact that God even blunders verifies your existence—!"

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS GOD!" The boy finally cried out, causing the other to hault and listen to him sob.

"Huh? What was that, Venny?" He leaned in closer to Ven's face to hear his coarse whispers.

"Th-There was never a God f-for me..."

"Now you're getting it," he praised, mockingly patting his back before resuming with what he was doing.

* * *

"VEN!"

Said boy's eyes shot open. His head was pounding in sharp pains and he felt so dizzy. What just happened? He put his head in his locker and next thing he knew...

No... He fell asleep again.

That had to be it. Vanitas couldn't have found another way to reach them in reality. He could only touch them from within their dreams.

He pivoted his head to the side meeting astonished violet eyes. His hate was standing just before him.

"N-Nami!" The forced smile was becoming a habit.

"Ven! Oh, Ven, you're bleeding," she cried out, reaching for his face, but he shied away.

"Huh?" Despite his caution and gentle touch, he still felt a sharp sting. He retracted his fingers only to see them drenched in blood.

"Please, Ven! L-Let me take you to the infirmary."

The worried blonde girl held onto the boy in case if he couldn't walk on his own. He was only an inch taller, but she still managed to be stronger than him. As they walked down the hall, Ventus couldn't help thinking of all the things she was that he wasn't.

His hair was drenched in a sweet honey color that complemented his lovely cerulean eyes and slightly tan skin, but ashen locks and deep amethyst eyes against a flawlessly pale complexion made his rival an ethereal beauty. He was thin and fragile, adding slight femininity in his appearance, but the girl seemed thinner yet in an endearing way, not the way where you would be sent to the school counselor in fear of a possible eating disorder. Ventus was annoyed by this fact.

He was sent to the counselor twice in the past three months.

Naminé had all of the boys wrapped around her finger, and she put on an act, as if she was never aware of their feelings. She stole his brother from him and it fucking hurt. Those two were a dynamic duo. They were unstoppable together and somewhat inseparable, but that ditsy whore just had to walk by and remind Roxas of his heart and hormones and follow at her beckoning.

But most importantly, the number one reason why he hated her oh so much:

Vanitas was infatuated with Naminé, and said girl returned the favor.

He knew they were bound to love each other. He couldn't bear it. And that's why he did something about it. Sure, the outcome was ridiculously cruel and brutal for a bunch of five-year-olds, but that's how they were. They were all fucked up in the head some way or another.

If he couldn't have Vanitas, then no one could. Ventus received acceptable results from his sins. It was totally worth it in his eyes.

Although, facing a vengeful, dead boy in your dreams is quite daunting and it can actually make you reconsider the crime you've committed.

"Ven, Ven, you're zoning out on me. P-Please, whatever you do, just don't close your eyes. Please V-Ven? Ven?"

He snapped out of his thoughts to hear the panicking girl that was so kind to him. She sounded genuinely concerned about him. A little too concerend. As if...

She were emphasizing him. Like she knew what exactly was going on.

Little whore. She was already getting nightly visits by him. This just made Ventus all the more upset.

"Shut up," he deadpanned. His words slapped the worrying teen in the face.

He had never said one rude thing to her. Ever.

"V-Ven—?" He forcefully pulled away from her loving arms.

"You. Heard. Me," he growled slowly. He felt like a stray dog being cornered. "J-Just stay away from me!"

Although he managed to distance himself, she still pursued him, snatching his wrist.

"But I—!"

Her painful squeak didn't make things better for him. Ven bore into her teary eyes with wrath before he saw his extended hand and the hand she had over her stinging cheek. Did he really just do that?

He noticed a small line on Naminé's neck. Barely there, fading away, but still present. The scar seemed recent, just starting to form new skin.

"Nice souvenir," he commented sarcastically, glaring at the skin on her neck.

Her jaw hung from its hinges as she clamped her other hand on her neck.

"It was an accident!"

"Bullshit!" Her eyes widened, allowing more tears to cascade down her face. "I already know what's going on, Naminé! I bet you the others are going through it, as well! Selphie was first, who's gonna end up dead next? Huh? HUH?"

"V-Venny!" She plead for him to calm down, but it only made him angrier.

"Don't you ever fucking **call **me that! You have no right to," he yelled at her. He was panting as he realized the students that were crowding the halls were staring.

Oh my... He was making a scene. He had slapped her and screamed in her face. He let his facade slip completely. Vanitas was going to torture Ventus to death the next time he laid his head against a pillow, that's for sure.

"I-I'm sorry," he falsely apologized, hoping to rebuild his former facade. "I h-haven't slept in a while. I'm r-really stressed out..." He pulled at his hair to at least convince her. It was her trust he needed the most. As long as she trusted him, he would be able to destroy her easily.

"Y-You too, huh?" Her bowed head and fearful tone only proved so much. He was right. Vanitas did come after her.

As much as he didn't want to, he gently placed his hands on her petite form.

"We need to figure something out. The others are probably unaware of the situation. It would be best if we—"

"Naminé! There you are!" They both turned to see Roxas running down the hall towards them.

"Hey," he whispered breathlessly, embracing Naminé and staring down at her in admiration. Ventus was obviously repulsed by the sight. "I was hoping we could hang later tonight, is that okay with you?"

"Sure!" She giggled. Ventus's rage was difficult to contain. Roxas just brushed past him, as if he was never there to begin with, and talks to the witch like he never interrupted a moment.

When was the last time Roxas ever wanted to **hang **with him? Where was Roxas when his only brother was left to die? Where was he when Ven needed him most?

With **Naminé**, that's fucking who!

"Morning, **brother**," the neglected boy hissed, finally managing to catch his attention. He could feel the blood trickling down the bridge of his nose like artificial tears.

"Oh, hey Ven! Where've you been—? Oh man, you're bleeding pretty bad. You should get checked out," Roxas had spoken so nonchalantly.

That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Ventus had too many emotions bubbling inside of him, he felt like he was about to burst.

He was in the hospital for three fucking days, too paranoid to even blink. When he came home yesterday, Roxas wasn't there. Ven didn't even bother to ask their parents where he had been; he already knew. Then, after four days, he finally sees him and all he gets is an '**Oh hey**' and '**Where've you been**'?

"You ASSHOLE!" His voice crack boyishly as he screamed. He could feel the burns of his salty tears trailing down his face. "DID YOU EVEN BOTHER ASKING MOM AND DAD WHERE I WAS?"

Roxas was taken aback by his sudden outburst, shocked at his brother's behavior. "Ven, I—"

"NO, YOU DIDN'T! I BET YOU WERE SO FUCKING BUSY TO VISIT! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU? WHEN I NEEDED YOU TO KEEP ME AWAKE?"

The bandages were coming slightly undone, slipping over his teary eyes. He tore off the bindings and threw them on the floor, storming off without receiving a reply.

Roxas was shell-shocked. He didn't know what to say let alone react to how his brother shouted at him. Ventus was usually a taciturn boy who kept most to himself. He never told Roxas when he got those piercings or that tattoo he saw during Axel's pool party last summer. Ven didn't even tell him the very fact that he was GAY considering he saw him making out with some boy in a closet that same night. This was so unlike him...

And what did he mean by 'keep me awake'?

"Roxas, we have to go after him. He's not well!" Naminé pulled on the boy's arm, dragging him in the direction where Ventus went.

"Naminé," he called, making her look back at him. "Just stop."

The girl did more than stop. She practically froze from the words that escaped his lips. Then, she lashed out on him.

"What do you mean? Roxas, can't you **see **that he's severely injured? He's not acting like himself. We need to help him!"

She tried to follow after Ventus, but was pulled back into the envious boy's arms.

"Let him be," he whispered in her ear. "He's always found a way out. He always had and always will. If anything, we're doing him a favor."

Naminé seemed a bit hesitant at the thought, biting her lip shyly from how close he was.

_'Who to trust more than his twin brother?'_

"O-Okay..." Her defeated sigh made him grin.

"Come on let's get to class before Mr. Flynn has my head rolling on the floor for another tardy."

* * *

Ventus was out of it. He didn't know which way was up or down, left or right. His headache worsened with the recent blow he received earlier. The emotional hurt and dizziness was too much for his eyes as he pushed tardy students out of the way— some he knew and some he didn't.

He made it off the school grounds, with his messenger bag still slung on his shoulder and his dignity worn out.

The nerve of his idiotic brother and that manipulative witch. The only one doing the manipulating around here should be **him**!

Grudge and spitefulness began to manifest within his heart; it was consuming him whole as he held his head up high, disregarding the pain he had dealt with minutes prior.

He'll stay awake for as long as it takes. Anticipate the day when they're all dead. That's when he'll be the last one to laugh. Laugh at all of their mistakes, but mostly laugh at his own. He was the cause of this. What could be any better than being the first to go?

Well, considering what happened to Selphie, it's any dead man's walk now...

Walking toward his neighborhood, he spotted the quaint pharmacy by the food market. Stepping inside the cool air-conditioned building calmed him somewhat. After all, it was practically summer all year long on Destiny Islands.

"Hiya Ventus! Shouldn't you be in school?" A young woman stood behind a counter that contained a variety of medications, pills of different shapes and sizes and colors. She was too cheerful and serene to be a woman nearing her thirties.

The blonde turned her way, making her gasp at the state he was in.

"Ms. Gainsborough, good morning," his fake smile only faltered as she rushed past him, beckoning for him to follow.

They rushed down aisles that contained anything and everything that could heal or cure. Bottles upon bottles of pills and tablets, waiting to be sold for assistance, were stacked neatly. It was hardly believable that such a delicate and refined woman like Aerith could be capable of managing such a business that ran so smoothly and well.

"Ventus, what happened to you? It seems like you were hit head-on by a car or something of the sort, and you recently left the hospital, too! Don't worry, I have a little 'something' that'll patch you up nice 'n easy."

She led him to the very back of the store where only a single door was visible. They were so far in that no incoming customer could be able to see them. She opened the door and pushed him inside, closing the door behind her once they were both in the cramped space. Ms. Gainsborough sat Ven down on top of a wooden drawer, causing the boy to blush at their close proximity. Sometimes, he can get pretty claustrophobic.

"Alright, what I'm about to show you is our little secret, okay?" Ven nodded slowly as the woman giggled.

She opened the top drawer, ignoring the awkwardness that ensued between the two, digging through until she found what she was looking for and held it in front of Ven's face.

It was soda can-sized glass vial filled with mysterious green liquid.

"U-Uh... This would be—"

"A new concoction of mine," she chirped with a wink, forcing the slightly deceiving potion in his hand. "It'll help, trust me. It's been tested, so no need to worry!"

_'On **what** exactly?'_

"Ah, thank you?" He coughed slightly to hint just how close she really was to him.

"O-Oh, you're quite welcome," she blushed from her friendliness. "Well, what are you waiting for? Drink!"

Ventus stared at the vial for a while before looking at the brunette for confirmation. She gave him an encouraging smile, opening the potion for him.

_'Well, here goes nothing...'_

The rim of the glass lingered precariously on his lips, he was slightly hesitating.

"Please, go ahead. It's alright, it won't hurt you," she consoled with a pat on the shoulder. With those words, he tilted his head back and downed the surprisingly tangy juice.

He licked the remainder of the juice on his lips and sat there in another awkward silence, waiting for something terrible to happen. His tummy rumbled slightly, but nothing happened...

"There, you're cured," the pharmacist cheered, clapping her hands in excitement. "It worked!"

"Really?" He didn't feel the pain anymore. His head no longer throbbed and his body started to feel slightly numb. The numbness tingled. The tingling made Ventus feel too good.

"A-Aerith, what's in this?" his sentence ended with a slight slur, yet he wasn't dizzy at all.

"Like I said, it's a little secret." She gave me a look over before stating, "I think you should stay here for now, y'know, to wait for the side effects to wear off. This bad boy is a work-in-progress, so there'll be more improvements to come!"

She guided the boy to the front of the store, this time sitting him down on a waiting chair. Ventus felt too preoccupied by his surroundings. The colors were brighter and clearer and, for some reason, he was amused by every little thing. Ven felt like this "secret stuff" that Aerith gave him was too awesome to be kept secret. He never felt this twisted out whenever he smoked weed. Never ever. Plus, it didn't make him feel drowsy.

It was a new high that Ventus could get addicted to any day.

For the time being, Ven was at a loss of what to do. How can he run away from it all? How can he abandon the world of dreams for the life he wanted to keep? Vanitas was, without a doubt, back with a vengeance. Most certainly back for **him**.

He had to find a way to stay alive, but how?

His eyes started to focus on the endless rows of prescription medicine that was locked away. Maybe he could lie just one more time...

"Hey, Aerith," the mellow teen called to the woman behind the register after he felt the tingling numbness completely fade away. "Do you have anything to help with sleep?"

"I sure do! Is little Venny having a little insomnia?" she sang aloud, mocking a doctor.

He shook his head at her question. "Actually, more like the opposite. I've been sleeping too much and I need something to keep me up. Anything you have in mind for me?"

"Yep!" She ducked under the counter and came back up with an orange pill bottle.

Ven stood up and felt quite normal, walking to the counter to get a closer look at the bottle. It was labeled **Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine **and the pills were a light pale blue.

"Now, Ventus Hikari, you must be very careful with these pills, okay? One pill a day keeps you awake for as long as recommended, which would be at most six hours. Please, don't take more than one." She sounded genuinely concerned and strict about it, so he took her words to heart.

He popped the lid off and tested Ms. Gainsborough's reaction. "Do you mind?"

"No more than **one**."

With her permission, he picked up the round tablet and placed it on his tongue, letting it disappear into the warm cavern of his mouth. When he swallowed it, he couldn't help smiling.

_'I'll be the last one to laugh at your deaths. You'll all see!'_

* * *

**Hablahblahblah... Omg super long ughh! D: Lol yeah, no Venny death today! That'll come later! :3**

***Evil thoughts... Oh, how they taint my creativity...* xD**

**Oh, and just saying, I don't know CRAP about medicine or what certain types of purposes there are for pills. This was all courtesy of Google, soooo... xD**

**Welp, off to watch some Gurren Lagann! And I hope you guys weren't disappointed! Peace out! Laters! Au revoir! Ciao! Adios! And all that good stuff! :D **

**Lots a Love!**

**Gracie :')**


	4. Twisted Appearance

**Uh Hiyas! Lol My friend's got me saying that a lot now xD**

**Madhatta51: Aww! Yeah, these chapters can be full of surprises! Lol I don't even know how I ever thought of something like this. Sure it's not original, but eh, I've got disclaimers. xD**

**Witch of Tragedies: Trust me, it's going to be one hell of a mess in the later chapters. Well, avoiding Vanitas is kind of Ven's only way to stay alive. And the only reason why there's even Ven x Vanitas in the previous chapter was because I kinda have a thing for Ven x Vanitas... Not that I'm a yaoi fangirl or anything... o.0" Eheh... Moving on!  
**

**roxas: Hey, none of your words are lame! D: As long as they make me happy or laugh, you cool! b^_^d**

**Soul of Me: Roxas is being a poohead because he knows he can't get any! -3- Lmaooo! And wow, you're right, that's true! D: My EVIL!Ventus is supa dupa rare! :O I should protect him! xD Oh, and you saying poohead made me giggle. Ah, me an my immaturity! :3**

**YouWereNeverMeantToExist: (Stupid FanFic doc thingie wouldn't let me type out your name properly) -3- I'm grateful this story even gauges a reaction out of people! x) Heheh, and Namitas is AMAZING! I love you already lolol jkk :D**

**Ziloves: Oh, phew! I was kinda worried at first that I wouldn't be able to pull readers into the mood or atmosphere of the story. That was like one of my main concerns! D: **

**katt massacre5: It wasn't soon, but... Eheh, here ya go? :o**

**luong10: Lmfaooooooo, Aniki that's like the only yaoi you'll ever see in this story... For now :3 Haha and I'm still pretty embarrassed yet laughing at that fact! Muwahahaha! I'm evil, I know. Grace: creating misconceptions since 1945 xD Aww! I love you, too man! (... I wish I could make a heart right now...) D;**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own KINGDOM HEARTS or ANY FRANCHISES MENTIONED WITHIN THIS STORY. I also DO NOT own the PLOT FOR NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. This story is purely for the entertainment of the readers and myself. Oh, and the cover image of this story DOES NOT belong to me. I've stumbled onto that image while browsing Deviant Art. It was done by Cicre. ALL credit should be directed to her for being such an awesome and creative artist! :D Sorry Cicre, but I'm a sneaky bastard ;D**

**WARNING: Some adjectives in this story may be a tad too hurtful or offensive to some or the faint of heart, so please don't get yourself worked up over my choice of vocabulary, thank you! :)** **Mild sexual themes and Yaoi/Yuri inferences. Blood... There is blood... Lol :3**

**You have been sincerely warned...**

* * *

**.The Nightmare on Palm Street.**

**IV**

**Twisted Appearance **

* * *

It was an untimely hour for a boy like him to be roaming the night. After all, he had school within only a few short hours, but why did that matter? He wouldn't be able to sleep for a while anyway because of _**that**_.

He grunted as he placed the cigarette delicately between slight parted lips, all the while lighting it up as he continued his stride. The embers of burning tobacco weren't his only source of light as he proceeded down the flashing street that was still occupied by nosy neighbors and demanding cops.

Man, he was stressed out. Not only had he been called under pressuring emergencies, it was under those pressuring emergencies in which he had found out about the fate of his dear, longtime childhood friend. Lying cold and lifeless on the tile floor.

He remembered that Psycho movie he had watched once when they were kids. All the boys slept over Sora's that night.

They were all afraid to take showers after that, but not him, not Vanitas. This enigma of a boy wasn't traumatized in the slightest by the cheesy graphics of the discolored film. All of them seemed perfectly aware of how the boy blankly stared at the television screen, not even cringing or jolting from the sudden change of the atmosphere that suffocated the other terrified boys. The small raven didn't even say a word when Ventus gripped at his arm in fright as the movie continued.

The shower scene that the he remebered sent shivers down his spine. Selphie was a wonderful girl, beautiful even. He felt guilt drown him as he remembered curiously wondering what the sweet girl might've looked like underneath the usual plaid skirt and uniform shirt. Well, in a revolting, unfavorable circumstance, he'd found out alright.

He took a deadly long drag of the cancer stick, trying to calm his nerves somewhat from the gruesome image forever residing behind his eyes. Selphie never deserved such a fatal death, no matter how much wrong she had done to someone. No one deserved to be tortured to death.

The silverette's blood escaped his face, making him feel a dreadful chill crawl up his neck. He started to choke on the smoke that burned his lungs, causing him to become even more terrified.

Ever since he experienced that suffocating aura from that old horror movie, he wanted nothing to do with it. He hated the sensations that came along with it. That's why he became intimidated by Vanitas's nature. Ever since then, he couldn't accept the claivoyant child with the astounding metal eyes and cheeky smirk. Vanitas's lingering presence did a number on him, to speak the truth.

He always had a short temper when he was little, but what Roxas had witnessed between Vanitas and Naminé, on top of all of those words Selphie relayed to him, he couldn't help but snap under that pressure.

Naminé was like a sister to him. He was always her night in shining armor, offering her his protection when she needed it, like after what had happened just hours ago. The blonde was in a desperate need for a hug; he saw it in her petrified round eyes. Usually, irremediable despair only possessed her in times of extreme grief, but she reacted differently to Selphie's murder. This irritated the thoughtful silver haired teen because he recalled how she behaved the day Vanitas died, as well as afterwards. Needy, pitiful, weak, and most of all **silent**. That was her irremediable despair.

"Naminé," he breathed out the name that felt so pure, so delightful, hearing it echo in his mind like a chiming silver bell in the mountains. "If only you realized the good I've done for you."

On the other hand, he thought what he did had surpassed high morals and expectations. He felt especially proud when he took it upon himself to carry out the troublesome deed, hoping Naminé wouldn't rely on someone as abusive as Vanitas by her side anymore. She should've been grateful that Riku had ridden her of such an evil presence, but that didn't seem possible with the devastating hurt she had presented to the others that day. Well, exempting the blonde's depression, all went along too smoothly for his tastes, with Xion's white lie to the adults and their parents' selfish need to protect them being preeminent.

Although his hands were forever stained with Vanitas's blood, his conscience and records appeared to be **squeaky clean**.

He stared down at his upturned palms with horror. Shaking his silver bangs away from his eyes and taking one more shaky hit of his cigarette, he couldn't help feeling distraught at the blood he thought he saw on his hands a second ago. He snapped the filter just for fun and let it fall to the ground. The embers had disappeared underneath his untied black sneakers, the toes of his shoes grinding the paper and remaining plant into incomprehensible mush.

Vanitas had done so many wrongs to everyone, but that didn't mean he would've never asked for forgiveness... In time (maybe), Vanitas would've noticed his wrong-doings and become repentant for the ones he had hurt. Riku should've given him a chance. He should've been the first, if not second, person to forgive Vanitas for what he had done. Now, it was too late for sincere apologies. From what had happened with Selphie, and the constant nightmares that he had experienced recently, which were mostly considered close calls, he came to the conclusion that they were all royally fucked.

Riku chuckled nonetheless, still coughing on the poisoning yet addictive fumes that had replaced his need to breathe.

_'Man, so much for a happy childhood...'_

He inhaled fresh, oxygen-based air, causing his breath to sound raspy until he coughed out whatever it was in his system and resumed walking. Despite the fact that he smoked, he abhorred thoughts of drowning or being smothered. He was a contradiction within himself. He was borderline claustrophobic and yet he sought out the factors that were linked to his fears.

He truly was one weird guy.

Granting that the journey felt endless, it only took him a few measly minutes to reach the front steps to his house. His parents were still outside, comforting the spooked neighbors. Huh, it seemed as if everyone looked up to them for help. Kairi could've ran to Sora's house for help. His house was just across the narrow, two-lane road. But then again, Sora was a heavy sleeper at this hour and he wouldn't have been able to act under pressure like Riku had or have the steel nerves to tolerate seeing one of their friends in such a brutal mess. He'd probably be a blubbering mess.

Hah, such a wimp he was, but Sora was **the **lovable, goofball of a wimp.

Just when he was searching for his house keys to unlock the door, a voice called out to him.

"Riku?" He turned around, seeing a familiar heart-shaped face with ocean eyes peeking at him timidly from the open gate.

"Ah, Xi-Xion, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Sora or Kairi?"

He stared down at the short girl with wonder and confusion, seeing too much emotions swirling in her eyes. Her black hoodie was three sizes to big, ending at mid thigh, and the sleeves extended past her hands. She was barefoot although it wasn't considered wise since the streets were occasionally littered with broken glass.

"Riku, how long has it been?" She mumbled, averting her gaze as she ignored his question.

"How long was what?"

"Since h-he," she trailed off, choking up, sounding too repulsed to mention his name. "W-When he..."

"Why bring it up? He's long gone—"

"I'm scared, Riku!" He cringed at the sight and sound of her as she fell into him, sobbing in his chest. "Don't you get them, too? The nightmares? Riku, he's still here! H-He's out there, waiting for us!"

He was stunned. He didn't know whether to wrap his arms around her or not, contemplating how Sora would feel about this. It was already enough that Riku left him alone in the world without a brother.

Sora.

The cheerful brunette always looked up to Vanitas, thought he was so cool. No matter how mean or cruely unfair the raven was toward him, Sora's fraternal love was unyielding.

"Riku..." the panicked girl kept repeating his name frantically out of desperation, cupping his face with trembling hands, trying to get a hold of his attention, but he remained trapped in his thoughts.

Unlike most people, Sora enjoyed his brother's company and accepted him for who he truly was. He was dependent on his brother for advice or opinions about certain things.

And Riku took that all away from him...

When he felt warm lips on his neck, he escaped his remorseful mind to notice Xion's inappropriate behavior.

"Xion, what the hell do you think you're—?"

Then he saw it.

Riku remained speechless, watching the alcohol-induced rosy hue warm her cheeks as she pressed wet kisses along his skin. She looked irresistible and neglected in her drunken stupor. Had she been upset earlier? She must've attempted to drink the sadness away. It was apparent that it wasn't enough, seeing that she was already here.

She was hysterical beyond the point of rational thinking, and in his right mind, he knew he shouldn't take advantage of this— more like opportunity in his eyes— situation, but his thoughts were consumed by the cloud of sinful indulgence. His wanton needs festered in his body in an antagonizing way that he gave her a nervous elevator glance.

"I'm s-scared. I can't find Sora. He's not home, and I'm a-alone and— Please, just please! I need someone! Just... Please."

He couldn't help himself. He was still a maturing boy with wants and desires. Xion just happened to be one of them. It wouldn't matter if she didn't throw herself at him like that or not, he still wouldn't refuse her either way. It's just, he had already taken away so much from Sora...

Unfortunately, his greedy lust outweighed his morals on the scale.

He didn't push her away anymore once she let her lips graze his neck, yet he was a little worried about their current position. Out in the open, where any prying eyes could take a gander at the scandalous interaction.

"W-We should, uh..." his mind was a frazzled heap of hot nothing when her fingertips started to inch their way to the waistband of his sweat pants, which he regretted wearing for **obvious **reasons.

That obvious reason elicited a short giggle from his smaller companion, his face burning from her intense, lusty gaze, causing him to groan.

"What were you trying to say, **'Ku**?" He shuddered from the mention of his teasing nickname in the form of an innocent whisper. The hand that had traced his jawline didn't help wonders, either.

"I-Inside? Someone w-will see..."

Man, it just wasn't his day today. First, he had to hold down on his own bile at the sight of Selphie's mutilated body, calm down two overemotional girls (he would be eternally in debt to Roxas for saving him from most of the burden), and, now, he wasn't on par with his charm like he usually was. Riku was a lady's man. He was every high school girl's wet dream and then some. He made the girls melt and go putty in his hands. It wasn't the other way around!

"What about school?"

_'School? Fuck school!'_

"I was going to call in sick, anyway," he replied in a confident, yet husky tone. He smirked at her apparent shock, mentally praising himself for recovering his attitude.

He finally opened the door, leading the lustful girl into his home by the lips, hoping to make a quickie, or at least make it last, before his parents returned.

* * *

Meanwhile, a palm tree top of dark hair poked out of the bushes nearby, topaz eyes shining and thin lips grinning wildly at the sudden act of betrayal.

"Oh, Riku, you dog, you! Barking up the wrong tree like that. If Sora ever found out—" the boy's eyes widened at the new plan that hatched in his mind. He rubbed his chin in a mock thinker impression.

"Hmm... If Sora **did** find out! Ooh~! Yeah, that'll definitely work! Ah, I'm so brilliant!"

A scowl marred his slightly playful disposition at the sounds. The boy could already hear breathy moans, even from outside. It made him want to throw up just for the sake of not hearing them. Yet, sadly, food wasn't a necessity when you were already dead, so his stomach was empty.

The boy sighed, feeling regret for making Riku his next victim. If anything, he could've just waited 'til tomorrow or followed someone else.

Damn, how he wished Naminé would go back to sleep. He sighed upon recalling his days back then with her. His memories were still as fresh in his mind as ever. Now, all he wanted was to run his hands across that somewhat flawless skin of hers, every inch of her. Taint her innocent heart with his darkness and spoil that purity she had held onto for so long.

Well, in the nonmetaphorical sense, fuck her brains out.

Seeing as he never really was a known giver of fucks, this anxiety he had secretly kept hidden away would've been a shock to most people. He never had the experience when it came to sex for obvious reasons, so it only seemed natural to him to be nervous on how to approach his violet-eyed goddess in that sense.

After his scaring, everyone kinda got the message of what would happen, so they were all awake. Barely, but still. Although, he did enjoy the paranoia that he was feeding to them all.

He phased through his hiding spot, strolling down the street and observing the discord he had caused with a smug smile. He saw a familiar woman with puffy red eyes standing in front of an ambulance where a gurney with a black body bag propped half-hazardously on it was being placed. The short-haired woman seemed to burst a new set of tears, causing the man beside her to wrap his arm around her once more, visibly uncomfortable with the situation he was forced in.

He probably just wanted to shag her and leave, judging by the distasteful look on his face. This man was possibly one of the many, many womanizing douchebags of the world. Always wanting to get some. Vanitas wasn't necessarily a womanizer. All he wanted was to be Naminé's first and last. He wanted to be everything to Naminé, it's just that he'd had quite a difficult time telling her how he really felt. He never really had a firm grasp with words...

* * *

_"You turned out to be quite a fine, young woman," he added, trailing his hand across the flesh wound, smearing blood on her white dress while he settled his hand on her well-developed chest. "If only I were still around. I would've thought about all of the ways I could fuck you."_

* * *

He neither winced nor grimaced at his previous actions or words. In fact, he found himself to be quite proud of his administrations, chuckling to himself from the very memory. Naminé was a closeted masochist, after all. No one would've ever thought that such a shy, sweet-as-vanilla, purely angelic girl like her would be so eager and aroused by self mortification and secondhand affliction.

Only Vanitas knew, and he'd rather keep it that way.

He shook his head from such pleasurable and distracting thoughts, turning to see the woman being seated in a car by an officer. The ambulance and cop cruisers began to exit the street, leaving neighbors and parents worried of the serial killer that was on the loose. It's a shame that they would never find out that whoever committed such a cold-blooded brutality such as this was right in front of them. Then again, he was only a dead man, so no penalty for him.

The amber-eyed sadist entered the house that he had only been in twice, excluding his enjoyment of rearranging Selphie's face just a couple of hours before. Hell, her blood was still fresh on his hands. Not warm, but still fresh.

He had become extremely observant of the two blondes sitting on the recently deceased girl's couch. Kairi had left a while ago after Riku took his leave to fuck that two-timing slut, leaving the girl of his pining in the arms of this **bastard**.

"Naminé, you've been distancing yourself since the incident back at your house, why can't you tell me what's wrong?" Roxas was already past comforting her. She had pushed him off of her for some unknown reason when he came to hold her, kicking at his ego for a moment.

"I— It's none of your concern. I'm alright."

"No, you're not, Nams. Something's up, cut the BS," he deadpanned, staring intently at the conflicted gems of her eyes, waiting patiently for a better response.

"What would you know? Thing's couldn't be any better! E-Everything's all fine a-a-and—" She suddenly cupped her face in her hands, hiding the pent up tears that she wished would disappear or magically evaporate.

Vanitas sat on the couch on her other side, reveling in the sounds of her childlike sobs while Roxas just watched her, clueless on how to comfort her. It was worse enough that Naminé didn't want him to touch her.

The raven leaned into her whispering, "She wasn't really your friend, anyway. All she did was lie through that pretty smile of hers." The reaction he was given was almost instantaneous. The startled blonde jumped in her seat with a cry, turning to her side. Her wide tear-rimmed eyes saw no one. She must've been delirious from the lack of sleep.

As she turned back around, facing a confused Roxas, Vanitas leaned in once more by her ear, placing a finger to his lips.

"Shhh... You wouldn't want this dumb ass to get too involved, now would you? Tell him to piss off, or he'll leave, just like Selphie." Her trembling alone made him laugh and smile.

"N-Naminé—?"

"Shut up," she snapped, glaring at the stunned boy before her. "J-Just leave me alone, alright? Can't you see that I'm not in the mood? Selphie's fucking **dead**. You weren't the one to see her, Roxas!"

She was panting from how loud and shrill her voice actually was, completely shocked at the fact that she yelled at Roxas. **Naminé **yelled at Roxas. His urge to know what was troubling the girl he loved was becoming a troublesome itch, now, begging to be scratched.

"Please, Naminé, don't be so—"

"I would like just one day, **Roku**. One day without having to worry about anything. You being on my case every hour should be one of them," she growled.

His cerulean eyes turned dark. Vanitas was the only one who labeled him with such a demeaning, childish nickname like that. Everytime it left the damn raven's mouth, his blood would boil. Now, he had **her **saying it.

Roxas stared at her long and hard, trying, with great effort, not to lash out at the poor girl. Selphie was a dear friend of hers, he reasoned to himself. Naminé's just going through a bump in the road. She should have every right to be left alone for a while to mourn. She'll get over it.

The boy stood up, disgruntled by the fact that she was pushing him away once again. If she wanted him to leave her alone, then so be it.

"Fine," he replied through clenched teeth, his fists tight in a white-knuckled grip. "I'll be on my way, but just remember..."

He loomed over, overwhelming her with his heated gaze.

"I was and will always be the one you run to, Naminé. Just remember that." And with that sneer, he stormed out of the vacant house, leaving the helpless girl to her own thoughts.

She propped her legs up on the couch, hugging herself for comfort, her once teary eyes widening when she felt Vanitas's freezing touch return.

She didn't want to hurt Roxas the way she did, but she couldn't help feeling the guilt and denial control her. When she yelled at him, she felt so free. The euphoric satisfaction of being liberated had consumed her. Naminé couldn't believe the small truth that was hinted in her words. Did she really feel that way? Was Roxas smothering her more than he should? What was his deal with her, anyway? They're best friends. It couldn't be anymore simpler.

Hot tears streaked her flushed cheeks for the umpteenth time when Vanitas pressed his forehead against her back, mumbling soft, yet meaningless praises, as if she were a child in kindergarten.

"You did a wonderful job, Naminé," the raven of nightmares purred, praising her all the more by rubbing his hands soothingly over her fragile, trembling shoulders.

_**"You're such a good girl."**_

_'It's pitiable because the truth is, I'm not...' _She thought with a sob, hiding her face from the world in disgrace, thinking of all of the things she'd done.

Until her time comes, she would have to tolerate Vanitas hanging over her head like her personal guillotine. She can only hope for the rope to be cut soon.

* * *

**Ho my CHIT. That took FOREVER! Dx You have no idea how much I tried to finish this, but freaking writer's block, family/friend priorities, and a broken laptop charger took me away from you wonderful people!**

**Oh, who am I kidding? I was browsing DAMN!Lol pictures for who knows how long, getting distracted from my writing time! D: But I still think you're all wonderful! :3**

**Okay, if you guys haven't figured out by now, the chapters are at random dates. They take place before or after some chapters, but it'll all loosely come together in the end! Like, for example, this chapter takes place right after two, but a little ways before chapter three, so here is product four of this story! :D**

**Heheh, and I hope this chapter was okay for you guys, considering that it's been a while since I.. Uhm... Updated... Dx And this chapter's kind of a filler, y'know? Introducing the other victims in this hell of a story... Fufufufu :3**

**Welp, let me know what you think! Y'know... You can automatically send reviews and all now... Eheh... o.0**

**Bai! :D**


	5. Sadist, Meet Masochist!

**FINALLY! Never thought I'd see the day! xD**

**Witch of Tragedies: Oh! Nonononononono... Sora's "in love" with his girlfriend [(who happens to be a dirty little slut)No Xion bashing intended]. xD Sorry but there's no SoRiku here... That side of the Kingdom Hearts Archive can be easily found... Fufufufufu (NOT that I'm a SoRiku fangirl, or anything...) D:**

**luong10: Yes, I'll get to that pineapple-headed fool of a teenage boy. ****Lol It's sad how I haven't included Sora in this at all yet... Eh, I'll squeeze him in the next chapter or so. Probably :3 And you would know my feels because you always distract me every minute of the day! xD Well, not right at the moment, but still :p I think... I threw you under the bus just now... Whoops, sorry! x)**

**Sky and Sea: Thank you! Finally another one who knows the feels! :D And yeshh, you are all still wonderful! It makes me happy to know that you're glad that I think you're wonderful! xD What the hell did I just type? Oh well, makes sense to me! :D**

**Soul of Me: Why thank you that was, indeed, very clever- OH! ICWHATYOUDIDTHARRRR... xD Lmaoo and neither can I! I mean, Xion's not even a girl (KH-wise) and she's commonly depicted as the 'Jealous Bitch' in some RokuNami high school fics (But that's understandable)... And I think the most normal character you'll find is— Wait I can't reveal confidential information... Unless... You want spoils... o.o?**

**GenieLUV: ^^Like I said about Xion, he's also usually depicted as a manwhore in fics... Oh, and the stereotypical bashing wheel keeps aturnin'! xD Shhh! Stop predicting the future! :o Lol Of course, the little bleep will get what's coming to here! :}**

**Madhatta51: WHO ARE YOU? And HOW do you know this? xD Like seriously, when I read your review, I was spazzing out like crazy! Lmfaoo you sir/ma'am, are simply too observant. Heheh, I bet soon you're gonna start spouting unintended spoilers up everyone's— Uh... My last statement sounds too violent never mind... But, back to seriously, you're a quick learner and stuff, getting with the program. I like that ;D lol yeah... I thought I was taking it a little too far, but he's super jealous. He just can't help himself when it comes to cute, short blondes! xD**

**Snowdroplet: S'okay! :) I love them reviews! xD And yeah, he's gonna be a poohead in this story -.-"**

**KHfanXV: Actually, it's still technically a ripoff of NOES in my eyes. It's just the whole concept of Vanitas being able to kill that way that's taking it away, but ehh. All of us are making ripoffs of Kingdom Hearts, but no one's saying anything (THANK GOD)! x3**

**YouWereNeverMeantToExist: Actually, if you think of it in my way, Vanitas is being pushed away by Roxas's jealousy :3 Mhmm, you mind totally just got blown... No wait.. CRAP! Why does everything sounds so ridiculously wrong to me? D: Ugh, I gotta stop. Lmaoo I laughed at the whole 'in the dark' thing! xD For some reason... 'Dancing in the Dark' started playing in my head... TOTALLY RELATABLE! :3**

**roxase: Oh? Would you now? xD Hehe and no, his journey isn't quite at its end yet... :p**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own KINGDOM HEARTS or ANY FRANCHISES MENTIONED WITHIN THIS STORY. I also DO NOT own the PLOT FOR NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. This story is purely for the entertainment of the readers and myself. Oh, and the cover image of this story DOES NOT belong to me. I've stumbled onto that image while browsing Deviant Art. It was done by Cicre. ALL credit should be directed to her for being such an awesome and creative artist! :D Sorry Cicre, but I'm a sneaky bastard ;D**

**WARNING: Some adjectives in this story may be a tad too hurtful or offensive to some or the faint of heart, so please don't get yourself worked up over my choice of vocabulary, thank you! :)** **Mild sexual themes and Yaoi/Yuri inferences. Blood... There is blood... Lol :3**

**You have been sincerely warned...**

* * *

**.The Nightmare on Palm Street.**

**V**

**:. Interlude .:**

**Sadist, Meet Masochist!**

* * *

Vanitas, no less than the age of six, was seated a feet away from the waves of the ocean. It was fun and all, moving here. Living in a nice, sunny island with pretty blue skies and warm weather year 'round was just dandy! His parents never thought how he would feel if they moved.

Vanitas loved the city. He preferred tall modernized buildings and silent snow over palm trees and wintry, rainy mornings any day.

This was his third day here. No friends were to be made yet; most of the kids were intimidated by his foreign, exotic look. Cold, topaz eyes that pierced through any soul and dark, shaggy bangs that were cleverly used to hide his face in times of escape. His inflection could go from harsh and monotonous to nasty and sarcastic in moments, and his attitude was a brash one at that. Instead of puppies and bunnies, he would have a pet snake just to entertain himself with watching said beast devour the cute and fluffy pets of others.

Hell yeah, he was brutal.

So now, this broody toddler was getting more irate with every second that passed. He was becoming more annoyed with how the sand was always finding its way into his shoes. How the damn birds wouldn't stop squawking and chirping and how the damn breezy wind that kept blowing his hair into his eyes.

"This freaking sucks!" He finally snapped, yelling at the wind in mild rage. The ocean decided to insult him as well, spraying sea water on his face with the next wave that rolled in.

"SHIT!"

He hated this stupid island. He hated his stupid parents for bringing him here, but, most of all, he hated himself for being here.

"Hey!"

The raven turned around to see a girl around his height standing a few feet a way, blocking the sun out of her sight with her hand. Her blonde pigtails and white sundress swayed perfectly fine in the wind, not tickling her cheeks like his hair was, causing the boy to pout.

"What the hell do you want?" He snarled at her, hoping it would scare her off. She only smiled at him, cupping her mouth to giggle shyly.

"You shouldn't say bad words. Momma and poppa always say it's impolite," she giggled again. "Whatever that means." The boy's eye twitched in annoyance at the girl's never-ending fit of laughter, her voice sounding too innocent and sweet for his liking.

"Ugh, who cares? Leave me alone, you dumb, ugly witch!"

"Hey, that's not nice either! Why're you so grouchy?"

"Why're you so annoying?" He spat back her game, regretting ever saying a word to or even acknowledging her in the first place for the matter.

Vanitas's eyes widened as she approached him, stopping only a couple of inches from him. He started to feel uncomfortable under the girl's light stare and found the individual grains of sand more interesting than the color of her eyes, which were a warm pool of lavender-blue. He realized that she was barefoot.

"You must be new here!" She chirped inquisitively, fingers curling at the ends of platinum blonde tresses.

He would've seen the smile on her face if he lifted his eyes, but he just couldn't. Vanitas was a tough boy. He would stare at those who opposed him dead in the eye. Hell, he would look down upon them since they would always cower away. Oh, but not her. Not this girl. She stood her ground firmly, as if she was standing on a solid rock instead of impressionable sand.

"And? So what?" He growled, glaring at her from under his lashes, at least trying his best to intimidate her.

No infliction so far...

"I can help," she sang enthusiastically, clasping her hands together. He would've thought it cute if it weren't for the fact that girls were still possibly cootie-spreaders. The raven's gaze then burned more intensely with scrutiny.

"Oh, really, now? How?" The harsh sound of his voice snapped her from her bold attitude, the whites of her eyes now visible from shock.

"O-Oh, um..." The blonde began to twiddle her thumbs nervously from the sudden attention, her cheeks tinting a soft pink. "Y-You seem upset from something, and if you t-take away the things that upset you, th-then you'll b-be happy..."

"Witch," Vanitas admonished as he gave her a cold look. "That must be the stupidest thing I ever heard from a cootie-rubbing girl in my life so far."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you think of something bet— OW!" The boy felt satisfied when she heard her scream in pain.

Guess all you need to do is pull a girl's hair and she shuts the hell up.

"Are you going to leave me alone, now?" He pushed her down, making her squeak and fall on her butt. Without a word, she stood up once more, getting closer to him only to be on the ground again. He was becoming angrier by the minute and his pushing and shoving only became rougher. He was about to scream and cry angry tears from how frustratingly stubborn this stupid girl was.

"WHY WON'T YOU QUIT?" Vanitas screamed at her. He was fuming now, tears trailing down his cheeks from the aggravation she caused him.

"I... I d-don't know," she whimpered over her tears as well, getting back up again before he pushed her back down. Again.

"No, you do know, so tell me! Why do you keep getting up?"

"I-I can't tell you," she whined. "You'll l-laugh at me!" The instant she said it, he was silenced in thoughtfulness and confusion. What could be so embarrassing to laugh at? Either way, he would still laugh in her face just for the hell of it.

"Go ahead, see if I laugh, tell me." She gasped in denial.

"No! I can't tell you!" she repeated the words more sternly. The scowl she put on gave Vanitas such an urge to kick sand in her face while she was still down.

After a few silent seconds of glaring at each other, he sighed.

"Fine, I promise I won't laugh when you tell me," he grumbled, trying to hide his grin when he crossed his fingers behind his back.

"Pinky promise?" She held out her smallest finger. Crap, the dreadful pinky promise! He was done for, no way out now.

He uncrossed his fingers and reluctantly curled his pinky around hers, swinging their entwined fingers slightly back and forth before pulling her back up on her feet.

"There. Now, say it," he demanded after crossing his arms.

"I... Uh," she hesitated before biting her quivering lip. "I liked it."

Vanitas's was certainly taken aback, literally, backing away a few steps in shock. Her reply was unexpected and certainly not what he's heard before.

"Y-You liked—?"

"No, not like—" her hands shot up to her pigtails, which were a little dissheveled from his harsh pulling, tugging on them tentatively. "I don't know why, but I liked it when you did that..."

He could see it. Her eyes were sincere with honesty and her cheeks were a deeper shade of pink than before. Why? Why would she enjoy pain, especially a girl? Now, Vanitas was a kid who liked getting others hurt, but liking to get hurt was on the other side of the leaf. He had never met a kid like that before. Sure, they would start crying and bawling like the little wussies they were, but they wouldn't tell him to do it again. The kids that he met, they knew that Vanitas wasn't a boy to mess with. He was grade-A prone to dominate others. This girl, whoever she was, was just downright weird. But he somehow found himself liking that.

"So you enjoy getting hurt?" He deadpanned, eyes leering at her flustered face. He wouldn't admit it, but he was fascinated with the girl already.

"Y-Yeah. Uh, if want to know, I can still tell you how to feel less grouchy, though..." He gave her a skeptic stare, this time, without lashing out at her.

"Go on." She didn't hesitate to stand in front of him.

"Well, like I said. Get rid of what's upsetting y—"

"You're upsetting me." He grinned when he saw her pout.

"Shut up," she mumbled.

"Ooh! You said a bad word!"

"Well I'm trying to be impolite!"

"Pshh, you don't even know what that means." Vanitas's smirk was stretched to the limit. Teasing this girl was too fun!

The blonde huffed and sighed. "Okay, I'll leave you alone because **that's what you want**." When she turned around to leave the jerk, said jerk pulled her back by her wrist. Judging by the small smile on this cute girl's face, Vanitas knew he was hurting her.

"Can I at least know what to call my new toy, instead of **'ugly witch'**? Although it's still a better name than whatever yours is," he pressed on, his playful tongue poked out from a mouth that's spoken more curses than a sailor.

"N-Naminé... And I'm not your toy!" She griped, forcing herself from his hold and walking away.

"Hey! What about me?" She turned back towards him again.

"**What **about you?" She snapped harshly albeit the smile that still graced her soft features.

"The name's Vanitas!" He announced with pride, jutting a thumb in his chest like he was the one to set the world ablaze.

"Well, **Vanitas**," Naminé drawled, distancing herself slightly. "If you want to be a little less grouchy, just take away the things that make you unhappy! See? I'm already doing you a favor by leaving! Later, Vani!"

As she skipped away merrily, his urge to demean her had intensified from the nickname she had given him.

He sat back down, the sand crunching beneath his feet and his shoes. The grains of sand were making his skin itch and he felt irritable.

_'Okay... Take off my shoes.'_

The raven did so, removing his sneakers and socks, digging his feet deeper in the sand. The sensation was a first. Cool and damp. He wriggled his toes at the feel of the moist texture, sighing. His shirt was drenched by the water and he didn't want to get anymore sand in his hair, so he laid down using his crumpled shirt as a pillow. Instead of the wind tossing his hair all over the place like before, it softly caressed his face and blew his bangs back.

Everything seemed more relaxing and tranquil. The waves only washed up to his ankles, giving him chill every once in a while. He felt at his best since he moved.

This Naminé girl would definitely be one of his favorite victims— no, scratch that, his most favorite victim. He would be able to hurt her any way possible, and she'd still come back to him because she wanted to.

He wanted to hurt her, and she liked it when he did. It was a flawless accommodation.

Looks like his stay at the Islands won't be so troublesome.

* * *

**Late updates, but it's cool. I know, it was pretty short ;~; I'll try to update a longer chapter next time around! D: I actually had this baby already typed up for a while, just had to rearrange it :3 **

**So... How's everyone holding up? Good? Okay! Ugh this would've been up sooner, but eh, you probably already know the excuse I have to offer you this time! Whatevs! It's up, and I'm happy! I bet you are too! xD**

**Oh yeah, these little 'Memory Interludes' will probably come once in a while, or every other chapter! These Interludes will give you an insight on Vanitas's life before ITS END! DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN! xD**

**It was refreshing to update this, and now I am off to work on my secret story! :D**

**Seeya! :)**


	6. Even Those Who Sleep Peacefully Suffer

**Why good evening my fellow readers/reviewers/followers! :D I know, I take forevers, it's just I've been preoccupied with my dream to watch as much animes as possible, school notching that down to a rarity. ;~; The original chapter of this story was getting too long so I split it in half. I'm almost finished with the second half, where all the real shit goes down. So, for now, you'll peep into the life of Sora Strife, the twin brother of the infamous Vanitas! :')**

**Witch of Tragedies: At first, I thought the same thing when I first started this story, but it was just so perfect for this pairing. As long as they reciprocate their feels, it's all right. Oh my... I'm not usually the one to write terribly kinky stuff, but I know there would've been someone in this world who would've used that knife in this story for other things besides slicing and dicing... OKAY, ENDING TRAIN OF THOUGHT RIGHT HERE! xD**

**luong10: Lol yes! I'm just that ruminatively childish, childish enough to know the mindset of little toddlers xD YAY! PERFECTION! I'm no Jomatto, but I guess this'll do :3 Hah! Pshhh, you say it as if you DON'T KNOW what it is by now... xD Love you~! :D  
**

**GenieLUV (Genie-Bo-Beanie?): I'm sorry, that weird name just occurred to me for reasons unknown... xD I'm sad that this update wasn't soon enough, and this is the longest chapter so far (including the second half), so I hope this will satiate your needs of fanfictiondom! :o Yes, yes. I can't wait to write out the scenes that I've plotted for the rest of the story! I hope they'll be worth it! **

**Madhatta51: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGGGG! A friend of mine in my English class would always say that! xD And he and I would have an hour-long argument on who's the REAL BATMAN with our little, deep, Batman voice impressions! LMFAOO ahhh! You seem to have a grasp on what happened in the past, but I can finally say this: "HA! You're not an accurate source of spoils!" lol nope! You don't really spoil it, you just seem to have an inquisitiveness that perceives more than the average person and it surprised me how pretty close to precise your predictions are. Plus, I actually find it a good thing that you ponder what happens next. Some readers might have seen your reviews and were all on edge of what would really happen, so it's coolios, my brother of the dark night... x3**

**xXsuccessionofmidnightXx: Awww! I'm so flattered, thank you! ZOMG I FEEL LIKE SUCH A TRENDSETTER NOW! :D Heheheh! :3**

**roxas: And the twists will get all the more interesting! Just you wait! :D**

**Peppermint-n-Spice: Man, oh man... Your troll review! I love it with all of my heart! :') And it's okay! Honestly, I'm just happy that anyone would give up some of their time to read this tell-tall tale of mine :3 Reviews just remind me how much I love to write (and *coughcough* howmuchyouguysloveme *coughcough*)! To gauge other's reactions and stuff! Ah, Namine and Vanitas's past relationship is quite interesting in my mind, now that I replay the previous situations I intend to write for this fic :} P.S~! Keep it Peppermint Larry Pimpin', girl! xD**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own KINGDOM HEARTS or ANY FRANCHISES MENTIONED WITHIN THIS STORY. I also DO NOT own the PLOT FOR NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. This story is purely for the entertainment of the readers and myself. Oh, and the cover image of this story DOES NOT belong to me. I've stumbled onto that image while browsing Deviant Art. It was done by Cicre. ALL credit should be directed to her for being such an awesome and creative artist! :D Sorry Cicre, but I'm a sneaky bastard ;D**

**WARNING: Some adjectives in this story may be a tad too hurtful or offensive to some or the faint of heart, so please don't get yourself worked up over my choice of vocabulary, thank you! :)** **Mild sexual themes and Yaoi/Yuri inferences. Blood... There is blood... Lol :3**

**You have been sincerely warned...**

* * *

**.The Nightmare on Palm Street.**

**VI**

**Even Those Who Sleep Peacefully Suffer**

* * *

His room was dark, save for the moonlight that had shown through his open window. The dim rays filtered through long veil curtains and a slight cool draft had picked up, dragging the curtains along. They were like spirits, the mesh fabric turning ghostly, trying to reach him only to be snagged by a rail and some rings. The brunette was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall with his knees to his chest, watching vacantly at those miffed spirits tugging at their chains feistily in great effort to lay their gnarled, rotting hands on him. Although insomnia wasn't the issue for this boy isolated in semi-darkness, he felt restless, sometimes a bit finicky at the sudden unidentifiable noises that would resound in his home.

It didn't matter if he decided to stay awake for as long as he could. His nights and mornings would carry out in an average routine, blurring in and out of consciousness.

As long as he breathed, he could hear their screams of agony, most importantly **her **screams, which resounded within his skull in the most torturous of ways.

He could see her, writhing and thrashing in a crazed attempt to make him stop, but the memory continued. The Prince of Nightmares was amid gouging her eyes out. Her screams had become much louder and shrill to the point of tearing vocal cords and breaking crystal glasses. Salty tears were replaced with iron-tang blood, unable to be washed away due to Vanitas looming over her.

The images beneath his eyelids weren't his. The vividly accurate memories weren't his. He had done nothing to these people or to anyone for the matter to deserve such a punishment. Some were mere strangers, others were familiar faces he knew and grew to love and admire. Vanitas was hunting down each and every one of them; his bloodlust wantonly consuming him after every kill like some sort of high, and Sora couldn't help but let this demon run wildly around Destiny Islands doing whatever he pleased.

Maybe that's why the bound spirits were after him.

He held onto himself for dear life, as if he would fall apart at the seams if he lightened his grip just a tad. Her screams were becoming louder, which seemed close to impossible. He was trembling too much. Tears pricked his eyes from a dull pain that was behind them, giving him just a small taste of what she was experiencing. Then, he heard the knocking of her bathroom door, immediately desperate and urgent, the muffled cries and screams behind it following the quick and loud rhythm of the pounding wood. Those cries called the girl's name.

**"SELPHIE!"**

"N-No," the broken boy croaked. He felt as if the screaming had become his own, his throat raw and burning.

He knew the junior. In fact he remembered how back in the days it was just him, Riku, and Selphie until new neighbors came about in a mere snap. Unfortunately, that's all he recalled of his childhood at the moment. He was too distraught by the girl's shrieking and sobbing. Whoever was behind the bathroom door was left to sob, as well.

He closed his eyes from the emotional stress, finding himself to fade into slumber.

His eyes fluttered open to reveal lapis irises. They darted all around his surroundings, analyzing the familiar room. Poorly drawn pictures evident from the lack of proper motor skills were strewn slightly askew along the walls, the green chalkboard was faded and ashy from years of use, the white walls had turned gray, and the floor and perfectly aligned desks were layered with dirt and dust from being untouched for years. The boy paid no mind to the unsanitary condition the classroom was left in while he sat in one of these desks, observing the front of the class in a way a child would on their first day.

"Sora."

His eyes veered to peripheral, acknowledging the slightly older boy's presence without a word. The raven sat cross-legged on the top of one the desks, hands on his knees in a playful demeanor. It would've been endearing to be dreaming of his long deceased brother that he loved so much, if it weren't for the fact that he has been tailed by his brother's ghost since the day he died.

At first, his parents didn't believe him. They would brush his panic or excitement off to deal with other more trivial things. He wasn't the only one affected. His parents changed a great deal as well since Vanitas permanently departed from the Strife Household. Sometimes, the raven would sneer in disdain, going off in the younger twin's ear about how they never gave a damn. Throughout the years that followed, Vanitas's behavior had differed in the most epic of proportions. He craved for innocent blood to be shed and the shrill screams of the tortured souls he had wished to cross paths with.

"Only you would keep me company," the golden-eyed sinner chided, leaning in his brother's direction. "My previous companions would never... Stay for so long."

"Only you would finally notice."

Sora's abnormally calm and sincere words were a great contrast in accordance to his twin's casually sardonic and callous glib, canceling each other out. They sat in silence; not a pregnant, tension-filled silence that hinted of inevitable death, but a serene comfort. The atmosphere that radiated from the abandoned room intensified this eerie calmness.

Now some may have been scratching their heads and pondering about Vanitas's sudden hesitation, more so **restraint**, to kill. Shouldn't he have been merciless to all, especially his brother? Shouldn't he have killed him just like he had killed Selphie?

Those questions were practical, yet even Vanitas had some form of boundary between blood. If it weren't for Sora, he wouldn't have been able to satisfy his never-quenching thirst for this bloody payback and brutal closure. It was only natural to keep him alive and well.

The silence was disturbed by silent whimpers, guttural moans, and choking sobs, causing Sora to turn his head slightly. In a fetal position against one of the corners of the walls was a trembling naked girl. Her once silky caramel highlighted hair was matted with blood and her pale flawless skin was now marred with open gashes and splotches of dirt and grime; she looked like she was dragged all the way over here. The opening of the skin was roughly torn around the edges, as if a child who didn't know any better cut her skin open with a pair of dull, rusty scissors— which wasn't so far from the disgusting truth. She had her palms pressed onto her eyes, as if she was trying to keep whatever it was back inside her head. Her shivering never ceased and her cries were a constant background noise.

The seconds passed, and Sora could feel the sudden surge of emotion emanate from his brother. He finally felt the once light air turn dense and heavy with anger and then he suddenly snapped under the pressure.

"Oh, I'd just love to see what Ventus would do if he were in my place," Vanitas's voice was deadly smooth and calm, but his tone had thrown tons of his unkempt anger at the corner in flitted rage. These words were also drenched in a sort of arrogant knowing, making Sora feel the sense of pride the raven had kept hidden for so long.

It could've been the equivalent of him bludgeoning the girl via brick with a sweet smile, but Sora ceased the train of thought. No need to give his brother any ideas.

"Now why does everyone set me out to be the bad guy?" He asked out of the blue, shrugging off slightly. "I'm only an acclaimed avenger from the fiery depths of Hell, and I have my dirty secrets just like everyone else. I mean, aren't I **Riku's **dirty secret? _**Selphie's**_? _**Ventus's**_? And _**Xion's**_?"

His blood turned cold at the mention of her name.

"Do you think I like mindlessly wandering around for an eternity and a half? With this fucking void?" His hand fisted the black shirt he wore while his inflection turned cold and malicious, sounding bitter with a hint of morose and morbid humor. "Oh yeah, what I've done was totally the appropriate reason to deserve death. Yeah, because that was **so** reasonable for a bunch of fucking eight and seven-year-olds. We're all sick in the head, y'know? It only takes one night to reveal such an ugly face underneath a mask. Ain't that right, Selph?" He asked the girl with a sarcastic sneer. Although, he was speaking of sensitive things, he had this maddening grin splitting his face. No doubt that's it's been years since he's lost his marbles.

Selphie sobbed exceptionally loud in response to his last statement, crying out for her mother repeatedly in a newfound despair. She seemed to have lost her marbles, as well, considering the disgusting sight of her pressing her fingers deeply into her eye sockets as she hoarsely screamed her mother's name and rocked back and forth in her corner. She dug deeply into where her eyes once were, drawing more blood as she screamed bloody murder at the raven. No pun intended.

"Ah, Selphie. She was always the kind of girl to throw such a fuss over trivial things. I mean, if you think of it, life is quite an illusion. Death is what people should really be looking forward to. It determines where you go. Heaven or Hell, it's the Big-Guy-in-the-Sky's call. I remember having my judgment. Oh, man! You should've been there! He showed me every little thing I've done in my eight short years of living. They were pretty unfavorable if you were ever to see them. Trust me, Sor, your pretty little **eyes **wouldn't be able to drink up the slightest of the horrors my deeds have become. It's a good thing you're naturally a goody-good. He would like you up there," Vanitas sneered at the very reference of God. Regardless, he continued. "Anyway, he decided to cast me down into the lake of fire. It was beautiful! With the way the flames burned away my flesh and stripped me of my soul. You know, fire is an element souls are pretty sensitive to. The pain of your soul being burned is excruciating, especially when there's a whole eternity ahead of you to endure it, and that's an understatement. Now, imagine that, but being a child who didn't know any better. It was a traumatizing point in my immortality. Then, later along the line of your lives, I was given the choice to drag the others to Hell, the ones who cut my life too soon and I was like eh, why the fuck not? Hell, I'll do it! So, here I am."

"Why are you telling me this," Sora asked after remaining silent to listen to the other's monologue, his voice void of any emotion. There was no break or crack in the words that were spoken so smoothly, no fear or guilt or dread soaking them.

"What? I can't pour my heart out to my precious little brother? Wait... Oh yeah, I can't cuz it was physically torn from my chest! Oh, the irony of it all!" Vanitas cackled, his laughter waning into giggles. "You're probably going to wake up soon, dear little brother."

"What are you going to do, now that you have Selphie?"

"Oh, well I never thought of that," he trailed off, rubbing his chin in mock ponder. "I know! How about we decide over a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors?"

Although it was such an immature proposition, Sora knew the innuendo of Vanitas's suggestion, and he knew what Vanitas would choose the moment they balled their hands into fists.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Vanitas chanted gleefully. Sora tensed and his blood turned ice cold at the results before him.

"Rock beats scissors," Vanitas murmured softly, gently placing his fist on top of Sora's fingers. Then he smiled maliciously at the girl who snapped her head their way despite her blindness, eyebrows receding into her hairline.

"Oh, just so you know you should visit little Venny while you can. See you around, Sora. I have other business to attend to." When Ventus's name fell on her ears, Selphie's tears came falling back down.

"N-No!" Her voice was barely audible to Sora, until she began to yell, as he turned his back to them, eyes shut tight, waiting to wake up. "S-Sora, no! Don't leave me here! DON'T LEAVE ME! HELP ME! HELP ME, HELP ME! MOTHER! SORA! SORA! S—"

He awoke with a start to see his room was still shrouded in darkness, heart drumming a mile a minute and breaths ragged and shallow. A sudden knowing chill ran along his spinal column when he recalled Vanitas's mentioning of his friend.

_'Oh no... He couldn't have possibly— not when I was—__'_

He ceased the thought, knowing all too fearfully of what he meant, and darted out of his room as he pulled on a random shirt and nabbed his car keys before slipping into his sneakers and sprinting down the street to reach the Hikari residence, which wasn't too far away. He nearly tackled the door before savagely wrapping his taut-knuckled fist on the wood loudly and continuously. The door was forcefully ripped back, revealing the withered glare of his father's longtime friend, his godfather, not even giving a chance to be asked why he was even at their doorstep at this hour.

"Ventus. Where is he?" He gasped out, his chest heaving heavily in need for cool air.

"Oh," the middle-aged man's eyes fell ungraciously to the floor. "He was admitted into the hospital last night... Iris is over there this very moment if you'd like to see her."

The unnerving and foreboding cacophony of police and ambulance sirens approaching the very street caught the attention of the uncle-like figure, who peered over his godson's crazy bedhead to observe what was happening.

"Thanks." He sped off before the words parted from his lips, sprinting back down the street before slamming into the driver's side of his jeep, opening it and tossing himself in without a thought, starting the ignition, and peeling rubber tires against asphalt as he left the street behind. It was too late to let driving restrictions hold him back. He had to reach Ven.

Even though he was in the midst of pressuring circumstances, he couldn't help feeling like Evel Knievel.

* * *

He quickly parked his car before hastily entering the hospital, goosebumps rising on his tan arms the instant he was hit with the air conditioning. Rubbing his arms, the boy put on a brave poker face as he advanced into the hospital, venturing past the second set of automatic doors to see his godmother, just like his godfather said, sitting in one of the armchairs in the waiting room.

She looked so small and fragile with the way she kept staring thoughtlessly at the doors to the ER, one arm resting on the chair, holding up her exhausted head as her eyelids drooped heavily. She began to nod off into sleep, her moist eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, and her posture just screamed restlessness although she already began dozing off.

Sora decided to move from his spot, careful enough to not snap the poor woman from her snooze— she must've been here since last night— when he seated himself next to her. He gave her some time to herself, sitting patiently for at least twenty minutes before he noticed her eyes slowly open again. Then, he calmly reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers together. She only gave him one sweet, faltering smile before she broke down into tears. The brunette was a patient man, considering he was very tolerable of Vanitas's sadistic shenanigans and the fact that his own brother was killing off those close to his heart.

"H-His condition is stable," she wavered, her voice thick with tears. She wiped the senseless drops of waters with her thumbs.

The fact made him sigh with wonderful relief. "Can I see him?"

"Yes... He's probably awake." Sora stood up, ready to push past the doors, but he looked back at the frail and unsightly woman behind him, waiting for some form of confirmation. "Oh, no, I-I can't. I'm n-not ready to see him, with the way he is now..."

"I understand." He walked up to the receptionist, asking for the room where Ventus was staying in, stating he was a relative. She approved his admittance and instructed him where to go.

He was already at the door of the blonde's temporary holding, hesitating on whether to knock or not. However, he was interrupted by a coarse and feeble, "Come in."

As he entered he was terrified of the state of the blonde boy's condition, but tried to keep his composure as he leaned against the wall facing the boy's bed, almost eager to tell him of the news.

"S-Sora, it's so nice to see you," the boy rasped, trying with immense effort to turn his heavily bandaged head Sora's way.

"Ventus," he swallowed thickly, anxiety and trepidation lodged in his throat. "I found out from your father where you would be. I just didn't think it would be here, of all places."

The blonde chuckled wryly at the statement. "Of course you didn't..."

White walls were veiled in an unnerving silence, surrounding the two teens with a sense of a better perception of the other, as if they both knew that the other knew more than expected.

And the hammer was dead on the nail.

"Selphie," Sora began, but fell quiet, trying to reword his news into a more acceptable statement. He didn't want to tell Ventus that a certain demon has come back to haunt them. As if the simpleton blonde would believe him, anyway. "Selphie committed suicide."

A blonde brow quirked at his words, which was not expected from the other at all, considering how he was closest to the girl than anyone, he was closer to her than him.

"Well, it was initially assumed to be homicide," he reiterated, making sure to tip-toe around the topic of **perpetrators**. "But it's a confirmed suicide."

It took a while before Ventus had asked, "How long ago?"

"Earlier this night. Hours maybe— I'm not so sure..." Oh, but he was **very **sure. He witnessed it frame by frame in the cold sweat of his slumber-like trance. A shockwave rippled from his head to his heels at the reoccurrence of the fresh memory and he gulped once more.

"O-Oh..." The physically enabled boy let his eyes veer past Sora, lacking any and all expected emotions.

"Sora."

"Yes?"

"Leave."

"Wait, wh-wha—?"

"**Leave**." Ventus ground out harshly as he continued to look past him, stoic as he ever, which threw off the confused senior to no ends. In a daze, he left the room and returned to the waiting room where Iris had resided.

"Is he alright?" She immediately prodded.

"I wouldn't know his original condition, but he's seems better than you think. Very talkative and much more lively, the little fellow," Sora chuckled with a grin, hoping to pull the woman up from her severe dysphoria. "Just like the normal Ventus."

Iris shed a small light in her hopeful smile, crushing the taller boy in a motherly hug.

"Thank you, hun," she sniffled. "I-It's friends like you the world needs. That Ven needs. I remembered when he f-first woke up, he went hysterical. His own brother wasn't even here to see him. In fact, I haven't seen Roxas in a while. I just assumed he was hanging around Demyx's," she murmured into his chest. "I was hoping you would give him word to at least be here for his brother. He really needs him right now."

Sora nodded dutifully, returning the woman's embrace tightly in an assuaging way.

"It was refreshing to see you again, Iri. I might come over for a visit sometime soon." _'Just to make sure Ventus is still alive, of course...'_

"Thank you, Sora."

* * *

_'Her screams...'_

**"SORA, HELP ME! PLEASE, DON'T GO!"**

_'They're louder than I thought they would be...'_

**"SORA! SORA, PLEASE, SAVE ME! SAVE ME! SOOOOOOORA! SORA! SORA, DON'T LEAVE! SORA! S—"**

"—ORA! HEY, SORA!" His eyes snapped open to meet the exhausted, concerned baby blues of his girlfriend. She looked dead, yet she smiled from relief.

He remembered. She was on Van's hit list...

"Oh, thank goodness! I thought you were having... A bad dream. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" All the hints and signals were completely obvious as she frantically roamed her eyes and soft hands all over his body in search for any wounds all the while blurting the words that caused her panic to escalate once more.

Her touch was pleasant and calming to his nerves and he closed his eyes in satisfaction; she knew all of his sensitive spots. Xion was just so wonderful. It was also reassuring that she was this concerned for his well-being, ignoring the full intent of her words, even though it was her herself that she should've been more preoccupied with.

"No, I'm alright," he sighed, leaning into her cool touch and feeling her tensed hands relax considerably. Then, he sleepily mumbled, "If you wanted to be the first thing I wanted to see the moment I woke up, you could've just told me. We could've had a nice little **sleepover**."

Xion gasped and smacked him playfully in the chest when he wriggled his eyebrows at her.

"Ugh, you're such a horndog. If you want a sleepover, I can oblige in staying over for the night," she suggested slyly as her hands trailed to the hem of his shirt.

"Heh, I'd like that—"

What caught him off guard was when she was pulling up his shirt; she only yanked it halfway over his face, leaving his arms trapped and eyes blinded by the clothing. He pouted although he knew very well it wouldn't be seen and whined out her name after she poked him in the stomach and giggled. When he pulled his shirt back in place, she wasn't there.

"Get ready, or we'll be late! Kairi's waiting in the car," Xion's voice rang high from downstairs.

"What a damn tease," he groaned, getting off his bed and preparing for another boring day of pointless school work to come.

* * *

School dragged him along the linoleum floor of the halls all day, as it was doing just now, his attention span shorter than that of a dog. Sometimes, he'd think that he really did have ADHD, but his mother would brush it off as impatience and overactive energy and always reprimanded him to exert his energy. He chuckled, remembering when she told him that's what his girlfriend was for.

He reached his locker, throwing his books half-hazardously inside and slamming it shut with satisfaction. Sora was thankful that the school day was finally done and over with. He was also thankful of the fact that it was his last year here.

However, his elation was cut short from another thought. It felt weird, not seeing Riku in any of their classes today. It had been a while since Sora received a call or text from the silverette. He found this exceedingly strange since he wouldn't go a day without talking to him, especially when he knew the absent boy would have no regard for school to start a conversation with him anyway through mobile devices.

Worries of Riku were thrown overboard when slender arms managed to snake around his waist from behind and giggles erupted into his back, making him shudder.

"Babe, y—" he turned to see Xion in her cheer uniform, holding tightly onto a rebellious Kairi, who was trying desperately to have her wrist freed from the other's clutches.

"Sor, I need you to do me a very special favor," she whined, struggling with her hold on her younger sister. "I have a meet today and it would be really assuring to me if you stuck around with her for a bit. I'm really concerned for her safety."

At this, the introverted redhead struggled even more in her sister's grip, shaking her head, velvet hair whipping about like wildfire. The blush that was evident on her face made Sora quirk a curious brow.

"N-No! Xion, I-I told you I would be fine walking home on my own."

"Kairi, I can't afford to see you get hurt. Sora may seem intimidating, but he's a real big softie!" The brunette yelled an indignant 'hey!' at her word choice, making the raven roll her eyes. "He'll keep you safe, without a doubt. **Right**, Sora?"

"Of course I will! I'm insulted that you'd even need to have confirmation for that!" He playfully stuck his nose into the air, pouting.

"Oh, thanks a honey bunch of oats! I got to go. Have fun, Kairi!" Xion smiled prettily at her before pecking Sora, shoving his sister forward, and dashing down the hall, equipment and all.

He turned to the shy girl, who fumbled with the sleeves of her jacket, her eyes averted and stuck to the laces of his beat-up Chuck Taylor's. Due to silent observation, she was always reserved whenever she was around him and/or her sister. It made him wonder why.

"So!" He started as he clapped his hands together. She flinched, and he guessed he had to take a better approach.

"Uh, sorry 'bout that," he added sheepishly, a hand already to the back of his head. What. A. Drag.

"It's alright," her voice was barely audible when she spoke. He was lucky to catch the words. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way." She began to walk past him. He turned around and started to walk after her.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going?" He nearly barked out, cursing himself at the way she cringed.

She sounded unsure when she squeaked, "H-Home..."

"Look, please just let me drive you home. I have time to kill, and your sister will probably skin me alive and turn me into a throw rug on your living room floor if I don't make sure you get home safely."

"That sounds a bit controlling, don't you think," she muttered the question bitterly.

The brunette clenched his fists in a desperate attempt to not flail around and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from exploding on the girl. How dare she? She should just shut the hell up and accept the offer like most shy girls do.

But he knew she wasn't really shy. Who was she?

"Like you would know. Just come with me, so I can freaking take you home. What's so wrong about the sentiment, excluding your sister's pressuring insistence?"

He noticed the blush on her cheeks again before she stuttered out a, "N-Nothing! I'm just not used to your presence." Such a fucking confusing girl she was. How could she be uncomfortable around him when he'd been with his sister for almost two years and half? She's seen him plenty and she never seemed so bothered by him, until now that is.

"Alright then," he sighed in frustration. "How about we work on that today? At your place? I'm not leaving anytime soon, you know." How was he even going to deal with this girl?

He had to admit once more. What. A. **Fucking**. Drag.

"Fine," she whined out in defeat, crossing her arms. She couldn't stop trembling. "Let's g-go, then."

They walked side-by-side down the almost vacant hall, courtesy of a few trouble-making underclassmen Sora just had to roll his eyes at. He peered at the shorter girl beside him to see her fumbling with her sleeves as she kept her gaze on the floor while they continued to walk.

* * *

At the student parking lot, he unlocked the doors to his jeep with the small remote on his key chain. Kairi hesitantly crawled into the passenger seat beside him, securing her seatbelt and waiting patiently for him to start the car.

From the corner of his eye, he saw her staring out the window, oblivious to his discomfort.

His eyes narrowed in on the road, making an effort to focus on the traffic when she was sitting right there. He pressed on the brakes at the red light, the jeep coming to a slow crawl. He had nowhere to look so he studied the girl who sat beside him.

Sora knew he'd be lying if he said Kairi wasn't pretty. Unlike some of his past girlfriend's sisters, Kairi was a mirror-image of Xion, except for the age difference, hair color, and breast size (that's for sure) — wait, why was he looking there for? Cut it out, bro!

When she realized he was busy staring at her, she asked a condescending, "What?" Her eyes were trained on him and he noticed that her eye color was too exotic to be natural; an indigo, close to violet, if anything. They fastened him in his seat like the seatbelt did as he looked into the amethyst gems that hardened. He started to wonder if her hair was natural, too…

"**Ahem**."

"Huh?" He finally snapped out of it, feeling the warmth spread in his face to the tips of his ears.

"The light's been green for a while now." His eyes flitted to the rear-view mirror to see a few cars waiting patiently behind them. The citizens were strangely polite around here.

"Oh, uh sorry…" He made the turn onto their street, grateful that the ride was almost over… But the time for her to ask what the matter was that gave him the right to stare at her didn't take as long as getting to her place.

"No, not at all! It's just uh—" He coughed out awkwardly. "—you look a lot like your sister, is all."

What else was he supposed to say? "I know what you look like naked"?

The moment he parked the jeep in front of her house, the comfort zone had been long since abandoned. The awkward tension in the air-conditioned safety of his jeep was getting heavier and heavier than Pence in a sea salt ice cream-eating contest.

"Well… It was nice talking to you! I'll see you off, then," she exclaimed hurriedly, jumping out of his car, running into her house, and slamming the door in haste.

She pressed her back flushed against the door, a hand resting on her rampant heart and nerves, trying her very best to calm herself. Kairi was only comfortable around certain people. Believe it or not, she was just as introverted as Naminé. They only became friends through the acceptance of company. Kairi loved it when they usually basked in comfortable silence. That's how their friendship started.

But this wasn't Naminé. This was hyperactive, boisterous Sora Strife, Xion's energetic boyfriend. How could she deal with him and the likes of her sister? It was close to impossible, yet she had managed for all this time. She guessed that staying in a closed space with him set her off.

The light knock on her door made her jump and her heart started up again, beating faster than it ever did. She didn't want to face him and his sunshine personality, although he did seem quite as uncomfortable in the car as she was.

It took her an eternity to open the door to the taller boy, who smiled cheerfully.

"You can't get rid of me that easily. I only live a house down, after all." His presence unraveled her; the disarming smirk made her feel vulnerable and exposed to his prodding eyes, and her palpitating heart couldn't take any more strain. "There's no way you can get me to leave."

She might as well dig up a plot of land for her tombstone. Now, that she thought about it, being buried six feet under in a comfortable coffin was far more appealing than staying in a spacious house… with _**him**_. Still, she put on her mask of apathy and gave him a colder look than before.

"Try me— HEY!" He shoved her out of the way and entered her home like it was **his** fucking domain. The poor redhead was too appalled to comprehend just how gently he had pushed her, taking it as a callous hint that told her how much he didn't care for her well-being because it wasn't her he had to be nice to. Some of her sister's previous lovers, which exceeded two-digit numbers, were completely insensitive toward her and sucked up to Xion like she was the Queen of Hearts.

'_Great, another one of them,__'_ she surmised. _'__The nerve of that insolent, little…'_

She scoffed and receded further into her once protective refuge, ignoring that he tailed her like an eager puppy. Stepping into the kitchen, she started gathering utensils and ingredients from the cupboards and pantry, setting them down onto the island counter as Sora made himself comfortable on one of the bar stool chairs across from her.

"You seem hungry. Would you mind if I cook something up for you?" Too bad she could never be so mean to anyone for so long. She was definitely a pushover, and this was Xion's first, longtime boyfriend, too. She had no other choice to.

The humpback whale singing in his gut confirmed her assumption, yet he eagerly insisted with a, "Yes, ma'am!"

Sora couldn't resist watching her, his heavy eyes slowly following her productive form as she began mixing vegetables and stirring the contents of a sizzling pan. She would occasionally squat or bend over for certain items in the lower cabinets, and swipe her bangs from her face from time to time to concentrate. She had a cute habit of pulling on her sleeves, even when cooking! Kairi didn't appear to be clumsy at school, but here, Sora saw how she would precariously fumble with utensils and mutter a curse whenever she hurt herself. It was quite adorable.

Okay, how scandalously embarrassing! Looking at his girl's little sister like that. Sure, she was beautiful, but she's off-limits anyway.

Whoa, whoa… That totally sounded like he would pick her any day of the week over his girlfriend of two years, which he couldn't help stressing the very fact out clearly to himself. He's gotta stop thinking.

Plus, she didn't look like his type—

Oh fuck it! He's always had a thing for redheads!

'_Okay, dude. Don't thin__k of her too much. You're only here for Xion. She'll be through those doors any minute now__…'_

She finished all too quickly, setting the plates down and taking the stool beside him and handing him a fork. The stir fry was **delicious**.

"So, we might as well talk since I'll be here for a while."

"Talk about what, exactly?"

'_Yeah, talk about what? Nice, Sora, nice.'_

"Um," He sighed, shoving another forkful into his mouth, savoring the flavor for a moment to delay his response, trying to get a grasp of what to say. "I know this may be too soon, but are you attending her funeral?"

She stiffened at the response, but continued. "Y-Yes, it wouldn't make sense if I didn't so…"

"You know, Selphie and I were once very close. I'd always spend my time with Riku and her. This was a long time ago, though. You didn't move onto this street until you were eight, right?"

"Seven," she corrected. "Xion was eight."

"Right..." He almost ran out of topics to talk about, which would either turn good or bad in a situation like this, until he realized how she seemed a bit too lively to be bored of him and impatient to have him out of her house. "Wait, how can you be totally awake right now? I can barely keep my eyes open— Not that I'm bored of you or anything." Sora noticed there was barely any room under her eyes for bags. He was starting to get antsy. If he closed his for more than a second, he'll certainly black out. She looked at him in confusion, her forkful of food hovering halfway to its destination.

"Sleep, obviously? If you're that tired, you should lie down on the couch. I mean, you've done it plenty," she smothered her snickers with her sleeve-clad hand, remembering the times where she'd find him sprawled on the comfy furniture due to his rare arguments with Xion whenever he stayed the night.

Her smugness was too much to contain when he started to blush.

"Well, it's nice of you to offer, but I really don't look forward to sleep like some people do," his lapis eyes flickered from the living room entrance and returned to her face, suddenly concerned violets throwing him off.

"But you look like the walking dead! I'm surprised we didn't get into an accident when we were on the road," she joked slightly, her worry still prominent. He would never admit that his only reason for that was because his mind was too preoccupied on something, or he should say someone, else…

He was hesitant to follow her suggestion, wondering what he would encounter in the realm of dreams. Would Vanitas show him mercy? At least give him a couple of hours of darkness to calm him? Or would there be more guests joining them? If so, then whom would it be? There's only one way to find out.

Kairi began to squirm under his stare before he finally drawled his answer.

"Yes, but we didn't. If you say so, then I guess a nap will do me well." Futile. Until they're all dead, he won't sleep peacefully as mordant as it sounds.

She took their finished plates to the washing basin of the sink, leaving them there in a clutter. He followed her into the living room, flopping on the long divan while she sat at a safe distance on the loveseat, slender legs crossed and drawn to her chest as she observed him intently.

Within in minutes, he was knocked out cold and his cute light snores filled the silence.

The curious teen shook her head. Since when did anything involving Sora become **cute**?

'_Since you met him, of course.'_

She groaned at her subconscious mind, resting her head on her knees before sneaking a peep at the slumbering boy on her sofa, in her living room, in her **house**, as if he would notice.

From the way Sora slept so soundly, sleep didn't feel like a bad idea to her either, but the loveseat was too cramped to sleep on unless she wanted a crooked neck. She scanned the sack of bones that was Sora, unfortunately noticing all that space he left, as if he knew she would consider doing the same. She could go to her room, but she started to wonder why the stairs looked higher and longer than usual.

Kairi decided to sacrifice her dignity for the greater good of health, timidly approaching the divan and scooting beside Sora, facing him.

Not a twitch from his lips. He appeared to be the exact opposite of his awakened persona. All she saw was his grimace, brows furrowing at the undiscovered distress that marred his face. Didn't he say he'd prefer staying awake over sleeping, although he looked like the kind of guy to hibernate half of his life away in leisure? A troublesome pout quivered her lips in wonder and worry.

Just **what** did Sora Strife dream about?

* * *

**OOOOOHHHH! xD I know... That little thing going on, huh? HUHHHH? ;D Ugh, you wouldn't believe how long I've had this doc incompleted in my flash drive. It was like one of the metaphorical clown statues on my metaphorical shelf that obtained a thin film of metaphorical dust over metaphorical (wait, nonmetaphorical) time...**

**Heheheheh... Metaphorical xD**

**OH! And I might have said this before, but I'm going to change the years when certain things happened. Like for instance, Vanitas's death. Now, Vanitas, Riku, Sora, and Xion will be eight when it happened. Namine, Kairi, Selph, Ventus, and Roxy seven. So death is ten years before present time, okie doke Professor Oaks? :D**

**Okie! :)**

**And thanks guys for not just your reviews, but for the fact you actually acknowledged this story and took it into consideration. It makes me totally happy that I get plenty of views and reviews. The reviews make me especially happy cuz I get to see how you think of it and it makes me giddy when someone tells me how much they love my story and how they can't wait for more-**

**Oh m-my... THE GIDDINESS! IT'S HERE! xD**

**See you sometime later! D:**

**Grace, who misses you all so very very VERY much! :')**


	7. Surreal Connections

**Agh! I know I wanted to post this along with 8,9, and 10, but then I realized that'll take me forever. So... I decided to satisfy you with chapter 7 since this was finished already! :D**

**Ehh? Ehhhhh? ;)**

**GenieLUV: Yay! I'm back again! Dx Yeah, I feel boshy for holding this off. And grotesque/gruesome scenes galore when that time comes! Trust me, I have a pretty extravagant idea in mind on what to do(something that'll probably make you think, "Whoa, I see what she did there~" Haha, but yeah, even I'm starting to hate her (even though I have a little writing project revolving around her). Let's just hope Mr. Pouty McPoutPout gets the right girl. Sigh...  
**

**cherry2711: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it :)  
**

**luong10: I'M GLAD YOU DO! xD Like I said before, there will be grotesque scenes galore! Just wait and see. Hm... I would say this story's just reached it's halway checkpoint... Whoaaaaaa! No waaaaay! :O Lol and don't worry about my CHIT! D: As long as you understand, that's all that matters. And yes... A Tsundere!Kairi is a very cute Kairi x3**

**Guilm: I'm sorry that I probably caused you nightmares or insomnia... Well, this is rated M for a reason xD It's nice to have you aboard the TNOPS boat! I'll be your captain this evening. Just call me Cap'n Ari! :D**

**Peppermint-n-Spice: Yeah, I remember giggling evilly while typing up Selphie's part. I was all like, "THEY WILL COWER BEFORE MY VISUALIZATION! COWER, I SAY!" Um... Well, honestly, I didn't think any of you would react this way. I like the feedback. Everyone's honest feelings about this story make me happy (although I should be holding up my half of the commitment in the reader/writer relationship you and all of my readers got going on) ;~; I don't want to give away too much on Ventus. He's supposed to be are favorite little deranged blondie! ^3^**

**Madhatta51: You, sir/ma'am, are quite the sharp lad/lass! xD I just want to remind you that within the ENTIRETY of this story so far, only a few days have passed by (yeah, the time-frame of this story is quite botched up... ugh), so, they'll start to be suspicious at some point (I won't say when). And eventually, each teen will, somehow, be affected by Vanitas one way or another. No one's technically safe. And i****t's all good. I mean, I'm in no position to say otherwise... o.O**

**Smallwritergirl: It has and I'm so sorry ;~;**

**(Proceed to skip the commentary below unless you're too curious to ignore the lengthy anecdote) xD**

**Fate: Um... hey! I don't want to sound mean or disrespectful either, but I just wanted to let you know that your way of dealing with a story on temporary hiatus is slightly childish pointless. If I'm having a writer's block on Secret Tree House, then I'm having a writer's block. One does not simply escape writer's block (Cue the meme!). I've been struggling to think of ideas and ways to start it, and school isn't all that easy for me, y'know, so I barely scrape by with one story. I'll update it one day, okay? I do not need someone "spamming" my reviews until I do. Do you want me to give you a crap story? I'm just saying. Cuz it can be arranged. I can give you the most cliched, high school AU, with a SoKai pairing that'll be so cheesy it'll make you throw up. I can also throw in poor character development, plot holes, unnecessary events that lead to nowhere, extreme OOC-ness, a plethora of OCs, MarySues delight, elementary grammar, poor description, troublesome intermediate author notes, and incomprehensible dialogue. I am not going to rush for your sake and create a craptastical chapter in the process. I write at my own pace and when I'm mostly motivated/inspired. Secret Tree House is not going to be a story I update just because of some invisible obligation to the reader. If you can wait patiently like everyone else, then that would be greatly appreciated. And if this reply makes you feel demotivated in the slightest to read any of my stories, I have no problem with that; it won't bother me even at a molecular level. I'm sorry if I appear to be "raging" or "snapping on you" or telling you off." I'm not trying to be rude. This is a sincerely honest opinion of mine. I don't post my stories for people unless I feel the need to or if I really want to. I'm the one behind the keyboard here, so... yeah.**

**(Well! Now that that's been said, without further ado, I give you TNOPS7! :D)**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own _KINGDOM HEARTS_ or ANY FRANCHISES MENTIONED WITHIN THIS STORY. I also DO NOT own the PLOT FOR _NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET_. This story is purely for the entertainment of the readers and myself. Oh, and the cover image of this story DOES NOT belong to me. I've stumbled onto that image while browsing Deviant Art. It was done by Cicre. ALL credit should be directed to her for being such an awesome and creative artist! :D Sorry Cicre, but I'm a sneaky bastard ;D**

**WARNING: Some adjectives in this story may be a tad too hurtful or offensive to some or the faint of heart, so please don't get yourself worked up over my choice of vocabulary, thank you! :)  
Mild sexual themes and Yaoi/Yuri inferences. Blood... There is blood... Lol :3**

**You have been sincerely warned...**

* * *

**.The Nightmare on Palm Street.  
**

**VII**

**Surreal Connections**

* * *

"Sora."

He was back in the same room, in the same desk, with the same stoic calm he had ever since he'd last entered the realm of dreams. He was facing the green chalkboard, as per usual, his brother standing before it and observing the boy's expression with a shockingly earnest smile.

"You tend to learn a lot in a place like this," his hand trailed off of the board's surface along with his words. "Well, this is a classroom, after all. Where a child obtains new experiences, gathers more knowledge of the world. Their impressionable minds, soaking up like sponges."

He continued to drag his fingertips lightly against the board, his amber eyes following the faded chalk lines.

"This," Sora nodded his head in acknowledgment of the room. "This was our classroom from preschool, wasn't it?"

"What? Don't tell me you've forgotten already." His tone was one of artificial surprise. Vanitas sounded the least offended; more like borderline annoyed that his brother was being so dense. He didn't want to admit that he felt slightly sullen at the fact that the one who held him most dear was already losing memory of him. Well, time is what weathers one's mind. There's no point in evading it now.

"No, I haven't. Yet, they're only bits and pieces of memory now."

"Well, I remember crystal clear." There was a slight pause before he added, "You clung to me the whole day when we first came here. Compared to now, you were so different."

Sora was pretty shy and introverted when he was younger. He always stuck to Van's side like the loyal brother and friend he was, suspicious of everyone he met. Then, he started to remember how he never trusted Riku, Selphie, Ventus, or Roxas when he had been introduced to every single one of them in the early cycles of his childhood and kept his distance. He guessed his subconscious was on a whole other level than his mind could ever register, bearing in mind the emotionally devastating aftermath of lending his trust so freely afterward.

"Yes, if I knew what would've happened to you, I would leave them be."

"Then, how come, after all this time of knowing what they'd done, you still chose to stay?" Vanitas sounded neither upset nor furious. He sounded attentive, curious at what his brother's answer had to be. The raven's reaction solely depended on Sora's answer.

"As much as I hate the fact, I was too late."

Vanitas quirked a dark brow. "How so?"

"I've seen the way they behaved around you prior to your death. I should've known better than to deny the malicious intent in their eyes. The hate… When you were… dead, there was no mistaking it. It was their actions that made me realize how right you were. I c-couldn't… leave… because I-I…" His words were struggling to escape, vocal cords straining and shuddering in attempts to verbalize his thoughts.

His **fears**.

Could he really go through with this? Confide his concealed emotions before the boy who claimed to be his brother? Vanitas had to be a figment of his imagination. That's right, he has to be! Selphie was just being careless, and Ventus was jumped by a group of rowdy, homophobic teens. Yes, that most absolutely has to be true! He couldn't have lost it. He got a perfect score on his recent Calculus test. His gears are screwed on right and tight. Sora was a 100% A-OK, normal teenage-boy-bordering-adult with a cute girlfriend, the greatest best friend he could ever have, and two laid-back twins who kept him company in his lowest hours. He was graduating soon, starting at a university in Twilight Town by the next fall season and hoping to major in engineering, moving into an apartment with his previously mentioned cute girlfriend, having a part-time job, and roaming about ready to take on the world. He was finally going to pick up his own weight from then on out and experience the life of a full-fledged adult. He didn't need this. He didn't want this. But, knowing his own brother, beggars can't be choosers, and yet he still tried to find another excuse as well as the power to speak.

While Sora was mulling over conflicting thoughts on whether he should remain silent or finally speak this hidden truth, Vanitas waited patiently, an unlikely trait that opposed his hot-headed intolerant side. The meek brunette's eyes flickered tentatively to him, the embarrassment heating his cheeks from the fact that he was hopelessly tongue-tied and irrationally in denial.

"You were afraid."

"Wh-What? Are you implying that I—!?"

"Close your mouth and fucking _**listen**_," Vanitas barked. Sora's posture tensed at the edgy tenor of the raven, falling silent when he'd finally had the gall to speak up. "You felt that way didn't you? The sight of my eyes becoming indolent as gravity pushed me down. How I fell head first into the ditch without moving a muscle. The sound of my lifeless body thudding on the ground below within the silence. My blood; it seemed to cover every inch of your body. Was that what you feared, what you dreaded? Sharing the same fate, that you would follow the same end along with me into the ditch if you hadn't complied and kept your mouth shut? Your trauma led you to believe that, in some pitiful way, I wasn't dead. However, you appeared to have already known the truth."

"The truth?" Sora parroted, slightly steaming. "What would you know about any of this? You were the one who fucking died!"

"When you're chosen to become a hell-raiser, you learn a lot of things. You're able to creep into the past of others and use their weaknesses for their own demise. Whether it's their fears and sins or just a simple play on words, you can't help experimenting, seeing what makes them tick, faster and faster, until they explode in a fit of fury or tears. Or both, whichever you prefer. You can say that I'm quite the omniscient person."

"Bullshit. If anything, you weren't as observant of me when you were still alive. What makes now a difference—"

"'_He bumped his head, that's al__l. He'll get back up in no time,'_"Sora froze at the familiar and distant words that hung in the air of the room. "_'__He still needs to help me with my homework. Why isn't he getting up?'_"

He knew exactly where this was heading.

"Shut… up," he commanded weakly, but it wasn't even acknowledged since Vanitas continued.

"'_Vani, Vani get up_. _Stop with the cruel jokes, you're scaring me. Van, I swear, if you don't get up in five seconds, I'll tell mom! Van… itas__.__'_" Hands resting on his lap clutched at the coarse fabric of his jeans, his teeth clenching as hot tears stung his burning eyes. He felt like Vanitas had just squirted lemon juice in his face like he did when they made their lemonade stand instead of accurately reciting thoughts that had only belonged to him. Well, not anymore.

"Shut up." The repetition was now harsh and demanding, yet still ignored.

"'_Blood… his blood. It's everywhere. All over. Something tastes funny. My hands are red. Why isn't he moving yet? I already told__ him I was telling. Why aren't Riku and Roxas doing anything?__'_"

"Shut. Up."

Vanitas ignored him, continuing Sora's thoughts, his voice mimicking the boy's at an unsettling level. He even said each sentence the way he'd thought, leaving the brunette in trembles.

"'_They're not helping, they're watching. Watching with smiles. There's nothing funny about this at all… Where's Xion? __Where's mom? He isn't moving. He's not breathing. His eyes are closed. What do I do? No one's helping me. Vanitas, I'm sorry! Please come back! Pl__—'_"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP," he screamed at him as he abruptly stood, kicking down the chair he sat on, charging toward his brother. "You've got everything right down to the fucking point! Aren't you satisfied with what you know? Leave your petty mind games to the people you're after!"

He didn't expect his brother to grab him by the collar, glaring viciously into his eyes, invoking fear and confusion as the amber mixed into sky blue. What Sora did expect, though, was the placement of Van's hands. They grasped his shirt, not his neck, as if he knew he didn't need to crush the boy's windpipe to silence him.

"I'm getting my point across whether it's overkill or not, and you should care less of the games I play, little brother. I could kill you. Right here, right now, but… Sometimes, I wished badly that you weren't so good to me. It would make killing you all the easier and, probably, even enjoyable, but… I can't. I can't even lay a fucking finger on your _**skin**_," his hold tightened on his shirt to prove his point. "You're the only brother I have. You keep me here. I lived on in your memory while the other's had gradually forgotten. Even _**she**_ had forgotten me at one point…"

"She? Who's _**she**_?" The brunette asked timidly. If it weren't for the dull gray light seeping through the blinds of the windows, he wouldn't have seen the other's face flush pink. And it was quite shocking.

"N-None of your business," he replied all too quickly, dropping Sora the instant his words tumbled out, leaving said boy stupefied in what he was actually witnessing. "You're too oblivious to the horrors of this world to understand."

"_**She's**_ horrible?"

"No, that's not what I—" He sucked in air through his teeth as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "God, you may be academically in tuned, but you're unbelievably lacking common sense. If only you focused on the little things. Then, you'd see the greater picture."

"What do you mean?" He shot back indignantly; scowling at his brother's die-hard teasing.

"Your wonderful girlfriend isn't all she's cracked up to be, Sora. Neither is your jock-head of a best friend. It's about time you figured that out." The intent in the raven's voice slowly sank in, causing Sora to tremble with confusion and anger. A sickening lunge in his stomach made him stumble back onto the desk, sitting on it for support.

"N-No… Please, no… Don't drag them into this. I know you feel justified in killing them, but they're virtually the only ones who I have left. Don't you do this to me," he demanded.

"You'll have to learn sooner or later. Once someone turns their back on you for the first time, they'll do it over and over. It'll only devastate you later on. I can't let that happen because you'll probably do something stupid. Go, I have nothing more to say to you."

"Hold on! Please, tell me you're not going to go through with this! Think of me before you set yourself on doing so… Please." The thought of losing them wrenched at his heart. He couldn't stand this anymore. Selphie's death was one too many. Xion and Riku were close to him. They were the only ones who made him happy now. Knowing that they would soon be gone struck something in him. He realized he couldn't be left alone. He'd turn on himself if that were to ever happen.

"But little brother," Vanitas chuckled. "That's exactly what I'm doing."

Was that Vanitas's plan? He said he wouldn't lay a finger on his brother, but he didn't mention causing the boy to harm himself… How criminal can a guy be? Contributing to the self-mortification of his own flesh and blood brother, who stuck to him like white on rice since the very beginning, even with the terrible things Van used to do to him in their childhood? This was all too overwhelming!

"Wait! What about Selphie? What happened to her?"

"What about her? She's no longer with me, if that's what concerns you."

Suddenly, the walls of the classroom faded into darkness and the desks dematerialized right before his eyes. The last thing he had seen was Vanitas's lingering eyes before he yelped from abruptly being thrown back by an invisible force, tumbling and flipping several times before he was left on his back. When the nauseous feeling of his surroundings spinning subsided, he found himself suspended in complete darkness. He wasn't sure if he was lying down or floating in midair, yet he continued to stare at the pitch black above.

Was this where people's subconscious had fled to whenever they allowed sleep to overcome them? This wasn't the infinite possibility of the realm of dreams. Nor was it the brink of awakening. He found himself in between.

Dreamless sleep. He had experienced it many times. It was usually just like this: Nothing but black. However, he could still see himself like it was any other dream. He exhaled slowly, forcing his heart to calm down. The sensation of floating was actually quite pleasant, so he closed his eyes and felt his body drift like he would in a swimming pool. The whispering that began to whip around him was stifled, as if he had cotton in his ears.

"_**You must learn…"**_ The final whisper of Vanitas's lingering words was a caress, wrapping around him like a blanket. Finally, he was able to worry about nothing for once and sleep.

* * *

Her eyelids felt heavy on her cheeks, refusing to open when she felt herself waking up. She dreamed of nothing since she only dozed off for probably a good half-hour; it was still light outside. Kairi was only able to force one eye open at a time. She remembered where she had fell asleep, curiously observing the face of the still sleeping boy in front of her.

'_Well, you only have one chance to do so without getting caught, right?'_ She thought reasonably.

So she let her eyes wander and trace the curve of his jaw and his neck, passing a certain area she tried her best to avoid, up to his closed eyes. His bangs were tousled and in the way of his eyes and the rest of his hair was just a disarray of chocolate spikes. Then, her eyes were finally brought down by the magnetic pull of his lips. They were soft and slightly parted, enticingly inviting, letting silent pants fan her face and neck. Although his breath was warm against her skin, it sent chills crawling underneath. The blush began creeping on her face as she gulped.

Kairi didn't know if she could harbor the immense shame that came with feeling like this. She didn't even know when her body would allow her to get up.

His nose twitched as he grunted, arms moving on their own accord, causing the girl to squeak. His left resting on the curve of her waist while the right lay resting against her left shoulder.

His face was so close now…

If she felt like she couldn't move before, she definitely froze when she heard the jingle of keys at the front door, which wasn't that far away. Oh goodness…

"Kai, Sora, I'm home! You better not be having fun without me!" Oh **goodness**. If she sees them like this, she'll probably come to the conclusion that they were definitely fine having **fun** without her!

With perfect timing, Sora cracked an eye open from the sudden disturbance in the silence, staring at the girl lying in front of him. She was pink in the face and wide-eyed, and he noticed where his hands were placed, but he kept staring into her eyes without expression, not an ounce surprised of the close proximity of their faces. He saw what were in those violet eyes: panic, fear, and shame. But what really threw him off his high horse was the smallest amount of what he thought would never be there.

Anticipation.

If she thought he was going to say or do something to her, then she was dead wrong. There were no words exchanged, but there wasn't a need for words. The silence said it all. Her hands trembled as she reached for both of his wrists, his left hand feeling the soft skin that was exposed from her wrinkled jacket, having him shuddering as well. He was hoping she wasn't going to do what he thought she was going to do because he wouldn't know what to do with himself if that ever happened. Instead, she shoved both his hands against his chest, stood up, and dashed up the stairs as quietly as she could.

"Kairi? Sora?" he flinched from the unexpected voice, heart beating faster than it had before.

"R-Right over here," the flustered brunette called out. He saw Xion come from around the corner of the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room, her smile causing his anxiety to incline. He returned the smile, exhaling, "Hey."

Kairi must've known she was here. If she hadn't woken up in time, there could've been quite a problem on their hands.

Xion smirked as she made her way around the couch. "Oh, breathless at the sight me already, huh?"

"You could say that," he chuckled nervously at the irony of his situation, his hand habitually inching to the back of his head.

"I've brought some food if you want any—"

"I'm not hungry."

The words just slipped. The brunette realized what he actually just did. He suddenly felt guilty for eating Kairi's food now—Wait, why is he acting like this? It's not like he slept with her damn sister or anything! Why should he be nervous? Why _**is**_ he nervous? Why was this damn redhead messing with his mind, anyway? He has Xion, and she's the best he's had in a while. He should be thinking about her. Kissing her.

He quickly approached the raven, pulling her against him and following his thought's orders. She gasped as his tongue traced her lower lip for entry, but she wouldn't let him in.

"S-Sora, no," Xion reprimanded him, as if he were a disobedient pup. She shoved the needy boy away, making him slightly agitated.

'_What's with Lockhart girls a__nd shoving?__'_

"What do you mean no? I'm your boyfriend, aren't I?" He was sincerely confused, but his voice spoke otherwise. Xion would never refuse any of his touches or gestures of affection. She's been rather reserved and distant for a while now, even before the incident with Selphie. He didn't understand. Has she really gotten tired of him? Were these two years only an extended "Honeymoon Phase?"

"I'm… I'm just not in the mood, okay? I'm really tired…"

"Xion—" He closed in on her again, reaching out for her, but the sound of his hands being slapped away had taken him aback.

"I. Said. I'm. **Tired**."

He felt like facepalming the hell out of his forehead until the repeated actions would cave his skull in. First, it was that whole confusing shit with Kairi. Why was she lying on the couch with him? She couldn't have done anything to him during his sleep since he wasn't—okay, that was a stupid thought, but still. She seemed bothered and she abruptly left to the safety of the second floor, doing God knows what. Now, it was Xion. Tired? She's never tired when it comes to sex! Never! She had a libido that could rival Riku's any day of the year! If she's as open about their relationship in private as she is in public, then things were about to take a turn for the worse.

And it was all because he told her he wasn't fucking **hungry**.

Nah, he was kidding himself. If that was the very reason behind why what had occurred in less than three minutes happened, then this would officially be the most awkward, die-hard fail of a relationship known to man. However, he still knew he was sleeping on her couch tonight.

"Xion, you're here already?" Kairi called from the top of the stairs, descending in a dusky, oversized long sleeve shirt and a pair of black shorts that'd make any man tumble over. They were barely seen with the shirt covering her like the shortest cocktail dress ever known to the eyes of man. "I left this bozo to sleep so I could take a shower, and you're already all over him?"

What sincerely shocked Sora, however, was the pink fluffy towel she was rubbing on her tangled damp locks that were now a deep cranberry color.

He was sure that they both didn't hear a shower turn on. How was that even possible? She ascended the stairs at least five minutes ago, two of which were before Xion had entered the living room. He couldn't admit it, but Kairi was really quick on her toes. If she could execute bullshit stunts like this so flawlessly, who knows what else she's gotten away with these past years!

Although Kairi's alibi was iron-clad foolproof genius, Xion still had a disapproving frown.

"**What**?" She ground out the question. "You let Sora fall asleep?"

"It was the only good I can do for him. I mean, it's not like it's my fault. He's the one who should take care of himself."

"I gave you specific orders to—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Orders? **Orders**? What am I to you, your fucking slave?"

"Seems like it."

"Get real."

"I'll get real when you stop butting into other's business."

"Really?" Kairi chuckled sardonically. "I've had enough of this."

"Are you implying that you're breaking our deal?"

"What **deal**? We never had a deal! I'm real tired of this and your shit. I'm tired of keeping secrets that lay heavy burdens. Tired of helping you lead him on like this! It's ridiculous!"

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?"

"Stay out of this," Xion snapped before directing her attitude to Kairi. "So what are you going to do, Kairi? Are you going to tell him everything? You know what'll happen if you do."

Sora felt the heavy tension between the two. He could see Kairi's eyes widen with shock and then narrow in resentment while Xion's jaw was rigid as her eyes were hateful, freezing the boy who was between them yet not completely in their way.

"What's the worse you can do to me? Throw me down a flight of stairs?"

"Oh-ho ho, don't go around underestimating me, Kairi. You'll be shocked of what I'm capable of." Her tone was threatening, wicked. Sora had never seen this nasty side of Xion since… Before the…

Oh no…

"No, I know exactly what you're capable of, **Xion**. You have such a penchant to disappear and lurk about, and run circles around Sora like he's your little plaything. Where do you go most of the time, Xion? Definitely not to fucking cheerleading practice, that's for damn sure…"

He turned to see Kairi backing away, as if realizing what she had just said. It was only a short bout of bravery she portrayed, but it was long gone by now.

"_**What**_?"

His girlfriend turned murderous and rampant with the accusation, ready to pounce on her younger sister. Like this, he was able to see just how much Xion towered over Kairi. Only by a couple inches, but that was still an intimidating factor against the younger girl. Sora finally found control over his legs, moving in front of Kairi, causing Xion to bump into him. He placed firm hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look up to him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He glared at the still steaming girl before him.

She tore his hands away. "She just needs a little sense fucking smacked into her. It's none of your business!"

"It is **all** of my business," he found himself barking back. She shrunk away somewhat at the force of his voice. He never yelled at her like he did just now. Ever. "You're her sister. Start acting like one!"

Still, she was as resilient as ever, bouncing back at him with disdain. "Did Vanitas ever act like a brother to you—?"

"Don't you dare bring him into this."

"Oh? What's the matter? Don't want wittle Kairi hearing about big bwother Vani?" She badgered, her eyes betraying her seemingly cutesy behavior with the fury that pierced him. She knew all too fucking well, but Sora wouldn't let her get the best of him yet.

'_Screw the fucking couch; I prefer my own bed, anyway.'_

"You're certainly acting more like a child than your usual self at the moment, not that I can do anything about it. This discussion is over. Kairi," She snapped her attention on the boy with the stormy sea in his eyes, barely catching the following words. "You're not staying here. You're coming with me."

Before Kairi could say anything, Xion intervened. "You can't just take my sister wherever and whenever you please. You have no damn right to!"

He knew Xion wouldn't welcome him here now. He also knew that she wouldn't let Kairi leave, and if he left her alone with his girlfriend(?), she would do something completely irrational.

"As of now, I fucking do. Come on, Kairi." He led the girl to the front door from behind, blocking any access to her from Xion. He swiftly opened the door and gently prodded the girl to move forward into the blazing heat. If the situation wasn't so serious, Sora would've found it comical that the girl still had the towel in her hands, clutching onto it for dear life.

"WAIT!" Just for the amusement, Sora stopped and turned them both around, Kairi secured in his arms, to look at the fuming girl on the front step of her house. "It should be Kairi's will to leave or not. **Kairi**, you better make the right choice. Are you leaving or are you **staying here**, with me?"

Kairi glowered at her sister for what seemed like forever. Then, she looked up to Sora with questionable eyes. He smiled with encouragement, hoping she wouldn't leave his side.

"I'm," she stuttered audibly, trying to look for the right words to strengthen her resolve. "I'm… I'm not a possession of yours, Xion. Not anymore…"

She turned around swiftly, eyes shut tight, Sora following close behind.

"Bastard! You better bring her back to me this instant, or else!" She shrieked at him.

"Not until you cool off," he hollered back, not even wasting his time turning back to her. He crossed the street to his house, which was diagonal from the shrieking girl's. Opening the door, he let Kairi walk in on her own, instructing her to go into the room upstairs at the very end of the hall. She nodded and complied, closing the door herself and locking it. With this said and done, he turned back only to see the front door slam itself closed behind Xion.

* * *

"You're such a fool," Xion spat into the transmitter of her phone. Why he decided to have this argument over the phone, she had no idea. They were supposed to be angry at each other (well, they were, but you can agree that relationships are pretty complicated sometimes).

"If being concerned about the well-being of another life is a fool's job, then sign me up," his retort crackled from the receiver. "You seem to be overreacting to the max, considering you went berserk just from a few words uttered, and nothing else. But I can't agree with Kairi any more than I do now," he continued. "You always fall short. You're barely around anymore. Where do you go most of the time? And so frequently, too—"

"Nowhere. If I say I'm going where I say I'm going, then I'll be there. There's nothing any simpler than that."

Xion was completely annoyed with him. She couldn't handle Sora at the moment. He was too troublesome. Since when did he start hounding on her like this? God, she wished he could just go away. She felt like tearing her hair out. She hadn't slept in forever, and after that little nap with Riku this afternoon, she realized there was no sign of **him **anywhere in her dreams. It was a shock that he finally left them alone. Now she would be able to sleep soundly… unless Sora decides to keep yapping her ears off. All she wanted was to have another go at Riku and then sleep. Oh, how tempting the two were.

"You know what? Do as you please," she barked. The best way to get rid of him for now was to resign. "I could care less of the fucking brat anyway. She's no sister of mine!" She ended the call, her phone slipping through her hands as she raked her scalp to calm down.

How dare she? How **fucking **_**dare she**_? Nearly spilling her damn guts to Sora like that? Xion thought she had her foolish sister subdued under the circumstance of blackmail and death threats. Apparently, she kept her leash too loose. Kairi almost gave her away. Kairi almost uncovered her recent affairs with Riku and presented them to Sora's deaf ears.

A random object in her reach became a poor victim of her anger since she hurled it across the room, the fragile thing shattering when it made impact with the wall.

Picking up her phone from the floor, she texted the silverette to come over. When she immediately received a reply, she started to cool down in anticipation of the boy she was indulging herself with to arrive, although she was still sore from their recent tango.

* * *

Sora had parked his car back on his driveway. Wouldn't want Xion bashing the hell out of his pride and joy, now would he?

He was sitting on the hood now, which was facing the street, giving him a good view of the houses lined up along with Xion's house. There were only a few houses he wasn't familiar with, like the periwinkle themed house with the white picket fence at the very end, near the beach. Or the pueblo-esque home on his side across from the periwinkle house.

Then, his eyes faced the house in front of his, Selphie's. The Victorian styled home seemed to loom over him. He remembered that he wasn't there to physically witness the atrocity of her torture firsthand, but he knew who did.

Something caught his eye: A flash of white and black clothes and a cellphone in their hand. Who he saw walking on the pavement to the house to the left of Selphie's was the last person he thought he'd ever see today.

Just his luck!

"Riku! Hey, Riku!" The silverette's name was hollered from across the street. Nevertheless, he was still ecstatic to see him again. When Sora saw the boy turn around to see him sitting on his jeep, he smiled a cheesy grin and waved happily, hoping the boy would talk to him.

To Sora's disappointment, Riku hastily unlocked the door and disappeared into his house.

_'What's his deal?' _The spiky-haired boy sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day as he watched Riku's retreating form close the door behind him. Suddenly, he didn't feel like staying outside any longer, remembering that Kairi had been in his house for a while, dutifully awaiting him to return any second now.

He entered his house, calling her. She stood silently at the top of the stairs, cautious of her new surroundings; she had never been inside his house before. She seemed slightly rattled. What could have she seen or heard that would make Xion suppress her like that?

"How are you?" He treaded carefully, choosing the words he thought were best as he climbed up the stairs to meet her.

"I feel okay. I'm just a bit shaken up," she chuckled nervously while she embraced herself. It looked as if she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

"She can't hurt you here. You're going to be fine, so no need to worry!" He smiled **the** grin. No one could resist his grin of cheesiness. Not even his stoic father.

He felt accomplished when she eventually returned his smile with one of her own. A rather small victory, but he valued it. He led her down the hall and into his room. They sat beside each other on his bed, acknowledging a silence that could possibly be encountered, until Kairi spoke up.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did." She slapped him playfully, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up, I'm being serious," she giggled, but fell to the silence once more, conflicted in asking him about a topic that could be delicate. "Your brother… What was he like?"

He knew he couldn't avoid this. She was bound to ask sometime.

"Vanitas? Well, he was my twin for starters, older by ten minutes. He's like a mirror-image, but with black hair and golden eyes."

"Wow, that's pretty striking. It's not every day you'd see a boy with that combination."

"Yeah, I could say the same for violet-eyed redheads," he teased. "Now can you let me continue? Sheesh. Alright, so like his eyes, he was very… different from others. Everyone else thought he was too immoral for his age. You usually refer a child to innocence and whatnot, but with Vanitas, that wasn't the issue. He liked to bully the younger kids. He liked to push me around, too. He liked to destroy things, and watch the world burn. You know the whole brat-with-an-attitude thing? He took it to a whole new level. He didn't have an attitude. It was just the way he was."

"How could you deal with a brother like that?" Kairi asked, astounded by this "Vanitas" character.

"I didn't say he was troublesome to me. I actually kinda looked up to him. He was tough, and all the little kids feared him. Sometimes, he wouldn't be so harsh. He retained a few qualities of a stereotypical bully. I would ask him why he was so nice to some of the kids than he'd usually be, and he would always tell me that it was because they reminded him of me. He had a soft side for me and only me, and I admit I really liked that. Not even my parents were on the same connection with Vanitas as I was with him. We were really close, a fraternal bond at its finest. In a sense, we were like the sun and the moon, working alongside to keep our own world going although we were poles apart. Mere opposites, as cliché as it seems. Sure, he would have a bad day every once in a while and take it out on me, but I never minded it because I knew he didn't really hate me like the rest. He was my fortress. He beat up the kids who picked on me and was always close by, lingering in case I did something stupid. Vanitas would right my wrongs and pick me up when I fell down. He was the ideal big brother in my eyes. No one ever changed that image I held for him. My brother would always scare them off if they ever even tried."

Kairi giggled at the image of a child running off in tears from a smirking, five-year-old, Sora-lookalike. Sora chuckled along with her.

"Yeah, he may have not been the greatest role model, but he was without a doubt the best big brother I ever had."

"So what happened to him?" His eyes grew heavy and his smile disappeared, a sight quite rare.

"He… died," he paused to swallow the lump in his throat. It just wouldn't go down. "When we were eight."

Her maternal instincts took over, a hand already on his shoulder in a consoling manner. She couldn't say a word about it because she never had that experience of losing a loved one, so she had no sympathy to give. However, the brunette was fine with this. He appreciated that she knew she had no say in this. That she was there to listen to him pour out his feelings. These kinds of things were never experienced before with Xion, and, for some reason, he was glad they weren't.

"This was after Xion and I moved here, wasn't it?" Her question was careful, soothing on his ears. He suddenly felt more relaxed when he heard the reassuring soprano of her voice. He nodded with ease. "How did he die?"

"He was killed."

And it was left at that. The discussion was officially dropped.

"Uhm… We should lighten up the atmosphere, don't you think? Look, you have the curtains drawn. That'll do us no good," she exclaimed, climbing over the bed and opening the curtains. The late afternoon light gave the room a warm glow, the morbid shadows dispersing and drowning in the shine. "There, that's better!"

He only stared at her sudden resilient behavior, not surprised at why she would change face so quickly.

"So, do you have anything to do around here? Like videogames? Or-"

"Gaming's good."

It's about time he took his mind off all of this…

* * *

Kairi never played any of the Final Fantasy games before, which dumbfounded Sora, so they started a new game on the slot. Gradually, his faith in the clumsy girl returned throughout her little gaming session. She was a quick learner, handling the controller with ease and mashing buttons here and there whenever she was in a tight spot. And he would lean back against the bed and watch with a smile, giving her fighting tips and explaining the whole synthesis and Paradigm Shifts. They were currently fighting a boss, teamed up with Hope and Lightning.

"Quick quick quick! Use Slash and Burn! Slash and Burn!" He ordered, pointing at the screen repeatedly as if it would help her any.

"I know, I'm trying, so chill your damn nips! She barked back, fervently smashing arrow buttons until she pressed the x button, finally setting the two-man team on the offensive. The Aster Protoflorian didn't have much health left; they were so close to winning.

"Now switch to War and Peace!"

"I got you, dude!" She yelled (although it was clearly unnecessary), unable to help the adrenaline pumping in her system, her hands clammy from holding onto the controller too tightly for too long. She was getting excited.

"SLASH AND BURN!" They sang harmoniously. Back on the offensive. She was now able to summon Lightning's Eidolon, Odin, to finish the boss off since she didn't want to waste his Technical Points in the beginning, and they somehow gained a telepathic connection for she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Come on, Odin! Beat this terrible excuse for an oversized tick!"

And the Eidolon managed to nearly do just that, but his Summoning Points had depleted for what seemed too quickly and he returned to wherever he came from, Lightening appearing once again with her low health.

"It looks more like a mutilated Bulbasaur, if anything," Sora pondered aloud.

"Shut it, I'm trying to concentrate, oh unworthy distraction of mine!" She giggled, thinking more to herself than telling him. "Sheesh, I feel like I'm Link and you're that stupid Fairy."

This caused the brunette to blush and stutter out, "Hey, I'm not **that** annoying!"

"Whatever floats your goat, honey." For some reason, the brunette only blushed harder.

The disgusting creature managed to execute a fatal blow to Lightning, and this threw them both from playful banter to tension-rising panic.

"Come on, switch and use Hope to heal her! NOW!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO?" Her fingers trembled in mashing the correct buttons to heal her fallen comrade. "No, wait, I should heal Hope first! He's on red!"

"No, trust me when I tell you to heal Lightening. Hope's just weak!"

"But he's vital to the team!"

"That's why there's always a Phoenix Down for that! Just do as I say!"

"What if I don't wanna?" She pouted stubbornly, crossing her arms and looking away childishly from Sora (AND THE SCREEN!) as if she wasn't fighting a boss that would determine her continuing the storyline or not at the very moment.

"What do you mean by that? Woman, just trust me on this one!" He spazzed, flailing his arms about.

"FINE!" She cried out, submitting to his command and following through with healing the pink-haired character. The creature body-slammed the blonde, his health bar emptied in only a second, sending him to the floor in a faint. Lightening, however, still kept her health at a stable orange.

"Attack! Use Super Soldier this time!" Sora dictated excitedly. And in those short, suspenseful seconds, the beast had followed Hope's fate, fading into nothing as the duo cheered and embraced in a celebratory victory hug.

"OH YEAH!" She exclaimed in his ear, voice hoarse from all the yelling.

"WE DID IT," he yelled back, laughing and looking down at her. She really was short.

They stared at each other for what seemed like the longest eternity. And then, Sora remembered the couch incident. How Kairi had stared at him, how her skin felt under his palm and his fingertips, it set him ablaze and a tingling knot twisted in the lowest part of his stomach. He felt like touching her. She was just so warm… so inviting.

He smirked at the gaping girl, aching to touch her parted lips.

Sadly, she snapped back into reality, escaping from his arms with the blush exploding on her face. The game was forgotten, the cutscene completely ignored. Did the blonde kid say something about Nora?

His eyes flitted to the window, seeing darkness and a faint street light. They must've played Final Fantasy XIII longer than they'd thought. The only source of light came from his ceiling fan and the TV.

"You, uh, hungry?" She nodded meekly and followed him downstairs, and with quick glance back, he noticed she played with her sleeves as usual. In the kitchen, the brunette was surprised to see his mother already cooking up something nice from the smell of it.

"Hey honey," she greeted sweetly from her place at the stove, eyes veering off his face and widening at the sight of Kairi. "Oh, Xion, you dyed your hair? It looks pretty!"

"It's natural," she mumbled under her breath shyly, toying with her sleeves further yet bashfully from such a statement.

"Uh mom, this isn't Xion. It's her sister, **Kairi**."

"Oh!" The woman nearly dropped her cooking utensil from the embarrassment. "I'm so sorry Kiri—"

"Kairi."

"Kairi," she pronounced correctly when she got a good grip on the wooden spoon. Then, the middle-aged woman deflated in relief, smirking to herself. "Ugh, wonderful. Now I don't have to suck it up for little Ms. Princess Bitch." Although she knew she should've been offended by her sister being slandered so openly, especially by Sora's own mother, she couldn't help giggle at her slur, as distinctive and loose as it sounded.

"Mother, we have company," Sora chided with a chuckle, sitting at the table and patting the seat beside him, trying to make it look as appealing as he could.

Kairi stared at the empty chair in thought. This must be the chair Vanitas sat in so many years ago, where he probably kicked Sora from under the table and poke him with his fork and stole his cookies or desserts and stuff like that. Well, that's what Xion did to her when they were younger, so it could be a possibility. This seat was also taken by Xion, replacing the void that was left sitting by Sora after years of lonesomeness. She could feel it. The seat radiated evil occupation. But she wasn't evil, she wasn't mean. She wanted Sora to feel happy and comfortable with himself.

"Um sweetie, I don't think the chair is going to bend to your whim with the look you're giving it," Sora's mother snickered over the sizzling pan, making the girl turn into a strawberry as quickly as she planted herself on the wooden chair.

"Going after the twin sister eh? Wow, Sora, my boy, you really know how to pick 'em."

The girl in question jumped at the new voice across from her as Sora groaned. How did she not notice the man sitting across from her?

"Cloud," he whined, blushing up a storm.

"Hey, I'm just saying. She's a total babe. When I was your age, I totally jumped on girls like her. That's how I met your mother. Right honey?"

"He sure did!"

"Mom!"

"What's your name?"

"Kairi," she stuttered out.

"Hn… It's nice to be acquainted with you, Miss Kairi." He then set a serious gaze on his son, albeit smirking mischievously like his wife. "Now, young man, this beautiful girl doesn't look like the kind of girl to be down for all the things you're into. Remember, twins may look alike, but, as individuals, they have their own preferences and limits. You don't want to break her. Also, as always, protection is the best way to go, even if she's on the pill."

"Even if she's on the pill," his mother parroted, shaking her head knowingly.

Sora, proceed with a face plant to the table…. Now!

The redhead found it rude to hit her forehead against a hosts' dinner table, so she had no sweet escape like the boy did. Man, did she feel so embarrassed! And downright uncomfortable, too! Her blush was probably reaching down to the tips of her toes at the implication, and she probably looked like a red thing. Possibly like a character from a Dr. Seuss book: Red from the crown of her head to every patch of skin that showed. Oh my…

"I think I'm ready to die," Sora admitted from the safety of his crossed arms. Although he was unable to see it, Kairi still eagerly shook her head in mortified agreement.

"Now, now, you can think of dying after dinner," his mother admonished, handing out steaming plates. "Sora, get up! You're being rude to Kairi. After all, a man is supposed to take the fall for his lady!"

"Too late for that," he muffled into his sleeves before finally sitting up. His face and the tips of his ears were forever pink. "You guys practically pushed her off the cliff, yourselves."

As they ate delicious home-cooked food, Kairi noticed how teasing and flirty Sora's parents were. They always had something funny to throw across the table, from dirty jokes to Sora's love life. It shocked her how cheerful they were by themselves. Wasn't Sora a constant reminder of what they've lost? Wouldn't they take death seriously? This absolutely muddled her.

If she never knew a thing about Vanitas, Kairi would've believed his family was perfect.

But she knew it was perfectly imperfect.

* * *

Sora was lying down on his bed, waiting for Kairi to finish up in the bathroom, mulling over his previous thoughts. About Vanitas and his slightly cryptic words.

For a moment, he almost felt that he didn't care about what would happen to Xion, taking Vanitas's hard words into consideration. He was chuckling morbidly now, sneering at the white of his ceiling, as if he was daring Vanitas to do it. To teach him a lesson, ironically remembering how he begged his brother not to.

'_I have to learn, huh?'_

However, he remembered Riku, and started to feel a short panic for him. He would witness their killings inevitably, and even though he wasn't on great terms with his, uh… **girlfriend**, he still worried for them both. Their torture might be far brutal than Selphie's. They were the ones who actually…

"Sora?" His eyes shot to the door to find Kairi standing timidly in the entrance, fumbling with her sleeves and the hem of her oversized shirt and alternately leaning on one leg to the other as she looked at him. He hummed his attention. "I w-wanted to bid you a goodnight."

He raised a curiously amused eyebrow. "And… Where do you think you'll be sleeping?"

Bingo.

The look on her face was certainly priceless.

She started to stutter and turn red from whatever previous plan she had, pulling on her sleeves abashed, causing him to laugh and pat the comfy mattress of his bed.

"Come on, I won't bite ya." Somehow, the statement made her more flustered than before while she cautiously approached his bed.

She couldn't think properly. Of course, she knew Sora wouldn't try to pull a fast one on her. However, with the parental advice he was given downstairs not so long ago, she started to have second thoughts. She's seen the obvious interest plastered on his face, and the intent to touch her was totally screaming from his body language (peer counseling has never failed her, nor has she failed it).

Yet… She was anticipating this. She was waiting to see if he would actually do it. She was ashamed to feel excited.

As soon as she sat down, he pulled her by the waist, eliciting a surprised squeal, and tossed her to the other side of his bed. She gulped when her body was atop of his for that brief second. He left her in a flame.

"Sheesh, Ms. Lockhart, you take forever," he drawled, smiling mischievously at her reddened cheeks. "You blush a lot, too."

"I do not!" It was just silence after that. He didn't say a word. Was it her? Did she yell too loud? Did she take the joke too earnestly? He wasn't glaring at her, so what was he—?

Then, the bed began to creak quietly as he inched himself closer to her. Kairi began to shy away, moving as much and as far away as she could, until her back met with an obstacle. Unfortunately, the bed was propped against the wall and it now held her hostage. He had her.

He pressed her as far against the wall as it would allow, trapping her with an arm overhead, eyes peering slightly above her as he tilted his head closer.

"I know what I see, Ms. Lockhart. Don't make a fool of yourself," his breath tickled her cheeks silly as it fanned over her heated face, his voice reduced to an intense murmur.

Violet eyes retreated from the warm and homey colors of his room. They were shut tight, an only means of escape. Her teeth worried her bottom lip, hoping for the worst of the best. Through the loss of one of her senses, she felt her chin turn up slightly by a hand as well as the anxiety building up in her. She tried to tell him she was not one to be made fun of. However, she did not take his words into consideration and started to stammer like a fool, anyway. The silence weighed heavy on her patience, and she started to fear for the impending embarrassment or awkwardness (whichever came first) of the situation to blow her up into nonexistence, but all she heard and experienced was a disappointed sigh and his warmth leaving her personal bubble. When she opened her eyes, he was practically on the edge of the bed, not even close to touching her, with his hands behind his head. It was his turn to close his eyes (although he wasn't so fond of fading into slumber like this), and she couldn't help studying his mature yet boyish physique along with his once again uneasy face.

It was as if he knew the possibilities of where all of this might lead.

She held in a small cough and turned on her side to face the wall. Kairi had to admit, she was pretty uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a bed with Sora Strife, let alone actually being in it and sleeping with him for the night. She feared he was frustrated, and not just because his girlfriend was being irrational.

After lying that way for a few minutes, Kairi became uncomfortable with her position, turning on her back to stare at the ceiling instead. Then, she peered over to her right to see Sora the same way yet more relaxed. His face still appeared discomforted like it once was this afternoon, as if it pained him to keep his eyes closed.

Was he an insomniac or something? Really, what made him this way whenever he was alone?

She'll sate her curiosity some other time. Right now, she was more worried for what might come. What could tomorrow bring?

It was those kind of questions that made her tremble with unprepared fear.

* * *

**Alrighty! Such a crappy ending to this chapter! You have NO IDEA how much of a pain in the ass this was. -3-**

**Again, I am so so so soooooo sorry for making you guys wait. I've just been preoccupied with school and the like. My semester's exams were at least a month or so ago (I'm not sure, I rarely keep track of time xD), and my teachers are a bunch of slavedrivers! Ugh, like totally legit. They've been working my fingers to the bone and melting my brain with knowledge. Dx I know, this chapter probably lost its edge. I've been adding/ removing scenes like crazy and saving tidbits of what used to be in this chapter for later (more specifically the later chapters).**

**You guys at least deserve something so the next chapter is probably going focus more on either Namine or Ventus.**

**...**

**Hmm... You know what? How about I let you decide! :D Feel free to give me your two cents!**

**Who do you want~? Namine? Or Ventus? :3 **

**Well, that's all I have for now! See you guys next time! :)**

**~Sincerely, Ari's (IT'SBEENFUCKINGFOREVER) Grace x.x**


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